Companionship
by Tara1993
Summary: When Elizabeth's niece, Maddie is sent to live with the Burkes for a month can she help Peter and Neal solve their newest case? Will Neal be able to open up to her about Kate, and will Maddie be able to share a secret of her own?
1. Chapter 1

**Well hello there everyone! My name is Tara and I'd like to welcome you to my very first White Collar fanfiction! I was a little nervous about writing for White Collar because first of all, I am no good with writing crime drama, so if my 'crime' isn't exactly amazing, that's why, so I apoligize for that first. Second I hope Neal stays in character for the remainder of this story, it's quite difficult to get a read on Neal, he is a con man after all and can change is personality anytime he wants. so I hope he stays in character. **

**Anyway, enough talking on my part, go ahead and read on, I hope you enjoy chapter 1!**

"Wow, a bit lavish for an office space don't you think?" Maddie commented as she climbed the stairs to Peter's office. She was attracting a bit of attention from the other agents, her dark black hair pulled up in a loose ponytail, and the jeans, t-shirt, and converses she was wearing hardly fit the dress code of an FBI office.

"Were federal agents Maddie, they supply us with the best." Peter said in return.

"Yeah, my tax dollars at work." She mumbled under her breath.

"Look if you don't want to be here I am sure your Aunt El would love to have you at her catering business for a few weeks." Peter told her, taking a seat behind a large glass desk.

"Oh yes because spending hours discussing food and table arrangements is exactly how I want to spend my day." She snipped.

"Loose the attitude Maddie, your twenty two, it doesn't suit you." Peter tossed back. Maddie sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Yes Uncle Peter." She said, adopting a sarcastic tone, this time it was Peters turn to roll his eyes.

"If you're gonna be here, try not to get too much in the way, the stuff we deal with is very important." He told her, turning around to his computer to pull up any latest information.

Maddie crossed her arms on the desk and let her head fall on them, closing her eyes with a sigh; this was going to be a very boring month.

She rested her head on the desk till she heard the door open behind her. She sat up and watched a man in a suit and hat enter.

"Coffee." He said, setting a cup down in front of Peter.

"Thank you." He said, taking a sip and motioning to a seat.

"Who's the kiss up in the hat?" Maddie asked, pointing at the man next to her who simply stared back at her with astonishment.

Peter shook his head.

"Maddie this is Neal Caffrey, Neal, my niece Maddie." Peter introduced the two. Neal stuck his hand out to her, expecting a shake that Maddie didn't return.

"So what'd you do?" She simply asked.

"She's charming Peter, I didn't know you had a niece." Neal said, ignoring the last comment.

"Maddie is El's sisters, daughter." Peter explained.

"No relation to me at all." He pointed out.

"And yet she has your great sense of humor." Neal mumbled, Maddie tried her best to suppress a laugh, letting out a bit of a snort in the process. Neal smiled and looked her way. She eyed him up again, and then turned her gaze elsewhere.

"But seriously though, he wouldn't be kissing up to you if he didn't do anything, so what's he in trouble for." Maddie asked again.

"Maddie, would you please stop talking about him like he's not in the room, first of all." Peter scolded, turning to her.

"Neal was in prison for four years, convicted of bond forgery, he's out on special circumstances, serving out the rest of his sentence while working with the FBI to solve White Collar crimes." Peter explained. Maddie stared at Neal again, seeing him a bit differently now.

"Anything else I should know?" She asked Neal. He shrugged and sipped his coffee.

"Anything I should know about you?" he asked. Maddie's face fell into harsh lines and she turned away from him again.

"Maddie is here because her mother sent her. She thinks she was causing too much trouble in her neighborhood so she thought a change of scenery would be better." Peter told Neal.

"You two should get along quite well, Maddies latest stunt was trying to rob a bank." Peter said.  
"I did not rob that bank; I had nothing to do with it!" Maddie said.

"You were found at the scene with a bag of money in your hand." Peter explained. This time it was Neal's turn to scoff. Maddie turned and glared at him.

"It wasn't mine, I told you, the men robbing the bank dropped the bags when the alarm went off, I was picking them up to take them back to the tellers." She said. Peter shrugged and turned back to Neal.

"Anything else you two wanna say, or can we get to work?" he asked.

"You're hat's stupid." Maddie said, glaring at Neal again. Then she stood and walked out of the room.

Neal sighed and leaned back into his chair.  
"Wow, what was all that about?" He asked. Peter shook his head.

"Just ignore her, she's pissed off because she has to spend a month with El and I." He said.

"Is she gonna be here all the time?" Neal asked.

"Sadly she's chosen my job as more interesting, and since I don't wanna leave her at home alone cause god knows what she'd take from my house, I have to drag her along to work." He explained. Neal nodded.

"She won't be as mean next time right?" Neal asked.

"Don't know, I'd recommend you lose the hat." He said with a smile.

"I like this hat." Neal whispered, flipping it back onto his head with an impressed grin.

"Work." Peter said, pushing a case file at Neal. He sighed but picked it up anyway, delving into work.

Maddie sat at an empty desk on the floor below Peter's office staring up at the two men.

Usually she was able to get a good read on people, but this Neal was a different story, she didn't quite know what to make of him and she figured that was what made her so mad at him. She wouldn't torture him long though, and if she did she was sure he'd know she was kidding, he seemed pretty good at reading people too. She kept her eyes fixed on the office till Neal turned around and caught her watching. He smiled and winked at her, and she made a very big point of crossing her arms, rolling her eyes and turning away from him. She saw him laugh out of the corner of her eye though and she smiled a little. Maybe this month wouldn't be so bad after all?

**Okay, very short I know but this just kind of served as an introduction to the character I created, Maddie, and how she works. I should be posting the next chapter pretty soon so stay tuned, and remember to review and let me know what you think! thank you!**

**~Tara~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well happy Tuesday everyone, or Wednesday depending on when you read this. I hope everyone enjoyed White Collar, I know I did! and now you get to read chapter 2 of my story. I want to thank everyone who reviewed for my first chapter, it was great to get your feedback. enjoy!**

She sat at the desk for what seemed like hours, watching people move in and out of the office. She tried to entertain herself, ended up making paperclip jewelry instead. She slipped one on her wrist and the other around her neck, and then shook her head at how bored she was. Finally she heard Peter come out of his office, she looked up to see him and Neal walking down the stairs, each slipping jackets on. She smiled, pulled the necklace off, forgetting about the one around her wrist, and grabbed her jacket following the men.

"Where are we going?" She asked as they walked through the doors to the elevator.

"Neal and I are going to follow up on something, you're staying here." Peter said.

"No way, I've been sitting at that desk doing nothing but making, paperclip jewelry for hours." She said holding up the wrist with the bracelet on it; she didn't notice Neal take her arm in his hand.

"I am not staying here anymore." She finished.

"That's nice." Neal commented. She turned to glare at him.

"Don't touch me." She snipped. His eyes widened and he backed off.

"Come on, just let me tag along, I won't cause any trouble, you won't even know I am there." She pleaded.

Peter sighed, trying to come up with something.

"Just let her come along, I'll keep an eye on her." Neal offered.

"Alright, but no trouble, I am serious Maddie." Peter said, pushing the button on the wall for the elevator.

Maddie smiled at her victory but lost it quickly when she caught Neal staring.

"What?" She said angrily. Neal laughed and shook his head.

"Nothing, you just have a nice smile that's all. Try using it more often." He said, throwing her for a bit of a loop. The doors opened and Peter and Neal moved in, Maddie took a few seconds, letting the shock brush off her as she stepped into the elevator with them.

"So where exactly are we going?" Maddie asked. They were stopped at a red light and she was curious.

"Jewelry store near Park Avenue." Peter told her.

"What for?"  
"Possible robbery." He added.

"Possible, what they _think_ something was stolen?" She asked.

"They think something _will _be stolen. They received a threat a few days ago claiming someone was going to break into the vault holding a few hundred thousand dollars in diamonds." Neal explained.

"So why are we going there now?" Maddie questioned.  
"Check things out, look at their security, talk to the owner, see if there's anything we can do." Peter said.

"Do you know who sent the threat?" Maddie asked.

"No, why?"

"Well if I were going to commit a heist, of this caliber anyway, I wouldn't say anything myself, but maybe someone close to the person would." She told them. Neal nodded.

"If we can figure out who sent the threat maybe we can trace it back to whoever's gonna pull this off." He told Peter.

"The threat was sent to the owner, we can ask her when we get there." He said.

Maddie smiled at her accomplishment and didn't bother to remove it when she saw Neal smiling back.

"Neal, we might have found the female version of you." Peter said jokingly, Neal rolled his eyes

The jewelry store was classy looking, she could tell that from just looking at it. It was in a smaller section of town, with less apartment buildings and other shops around it. Peter pulled into a parking space and stopped the car.

"Alright, let's go. And remember Maddie, no trouble." Peter said. She sighed and nodded.

"Yes."

They got out of the car and made their way to the door. Peter went inside but Maddie stopped, turning around to look for Neal who was still in the car. He'd been strangely quiet the rest of the way and he looked upset. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair; a hand that Maddie could clearly see was shaking. Her brow knit together in confusion, she slowly walked back over to the car and tapped on the window.

"It'd be easier for you to keep an eye on me if you actually get out of the car." She said with a smile. Neal gave a halfhearted laugh and opened the door, stepping out.

"Guess you're right, shall we?" He said offering his arm. She stared at him for a few seconds, but then brushed the strange feeling of worry off and slipped her arm around his. He smiled and they made their way into the store.

Peter was already talking to the owner when they got in and he motioned for Neal to join him. He released his hold on Maddie

"No trouble remember." He whispered.

"Yeah, Yeah." She said brushing him off. He pushed her in the direction of a few cases of diamonds and then went to join Peter

Maddie took the chance to look around the store. The diamonds in the cases seemed pretty well locked up. She tapped the glass they were under and could tell it was bulletproof. There were four security cameras, one in each corner of the store, surveying everything. The owner was standing behind a door that Maddie assumed led to the vault. She walked over to join Peter and Neal,

"So you have no idea who sent you the note?" Peter asked.

"No, like I said it had been slipped under the door, I found it when I got in." The lady said. Maddie's heart fell, she really thought she had something, but if the owner never saw anyone, any lead they had fell flat, time to come up with a new plan.

"Could we take a look at the vault?" Neal asked. The owner nodded and ushered all three of them into the back room.

Peter stood back, letting Neal observe for a few seconds.

"How thick is the metal?" He asked.

"I am not sure exactly, it's a standard vault, if that helps." She offered, he nodded and looked around the rest of the room.

"There's no other way in here except through that door." He said. The owner nodded.

"That's right."

"And who else has keys?" Neal asked.

"Only me, if anyone ever needs anything out of here they have to come to me first." She explained.

"Do you keep the key with you at all times?" Peter questioned.

"They stay locked up in my desk all the time." She said.

"Desk lock is easy to pick." Maddie and Neal offered at the same time.

"Sorry." She whispered. Peter shook his head.

"We're going to have a team come by later to do some more checking on security, take some pictures of the vault for further research, things like that." Peter said.

"Okay, the shop will be closed for a few days so that's fine." The owner said. Peter nodded.

"Well thank you for your help so far. If anything new comes up we'll be sure to alert you." He said as they exited the back room.

"Thank you." She said, smiling as they left the store.

"So what do you think?" Peter asked when they were back in the car.

"It's possible." Neal and Maddie said.

"Please stop that." Peter said annoyance in his voice.

"Sorry." Maddie apologized again

"Someone working in that store could have easily picked the lock on her desk to get the key to that back room. They make a copy and give it to our man, it's easy." Neal said.

"Yeah but you saw the security in that place, cameras all over, and I only saw one vent that hardly looked big enough for a person to fit through." Peter said.

"And the owner said there was no other way into the back room but through that door." Maddie added.

"That's the part I don't understand." Neal said.

"There has to be something were missing." Peter remarked.

Maddie shook her head.

"Yeah, but what?"

**okay so like I said in the first chapter, you'll have to forgive me if my made up crime isn't exactly the crime of the century. I was never good at writing police/crime drama stuff so sadly this was the best I could come up with. so hopefully the character development will overshadow my not so good, made up crime. Please send a review and tell me what you thought, I love to hear what you all have to say!**

**~Tara~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy Tuesday my fellow Collars! and mid season finale day :( I think I might go crazy untill January! anyway, I know this chapter is a little short so I'll make up for it by posting the next chapter sometime later this week. Enjoy!**

The ride back to the bureau was quiet, each person trying to come up with some possible way for a person to pull off this heist.

The three walked up to Peters office and sat down, pulling out case flies.

"So who all works at this store?" Maddie asked.

"There's only six workers all together." Neal said.

"Any of them have records?" She asked.

Neal flipped through a few sheets and then smiled.  
"Only one, man named Karl Hatcher." He said, giving the file to Peter.

"Convictions for attempted robbery, and aggravated assault." He said.

"But why would they hire someone who they know has a rap sheet?" Maddie asked.

"Maybe they didn't know." Neal said.

"They had to know, you have to put that stuff on applications." Maddie said.

"People lie on applications all the time." Neal told her.

"He would know." Peter added. Neal sighed.

"Really, now?" He asked. Maddie laughed.

"Hey, if it's a lie then tell me, I won't say it again." Peter said. Neal looked at him for a few seconds, then stood up and went to the glass wall facing the office. Peter smiled in triumph, Maddie just shook her head.

"Okay so let's say he lied on the job application about his priors. Then how do we know Karl Hatcher is his real name?" Maddie asked, trying to steer the men back on track.

"We don't." Neal said, not turning around.

"I'll have Jones run it through the databases, see if we get any hits." Peter said, walking out of the room.

"He was only kidding." Maddie said, turning to face Neal. He shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets, but not quick enough, Maddie caught the slight tremble before he hid it.

She wanted to ask what was wrong, but she'd only known Neal a few hours and she figured whatever it was it was personal, and it seemed too soon to ask.

"I lied on an application too once." Maddie offered.

"I ran away from home once when I was eighteen, tried to start a new life and get a job. I created a whole different person just on the job application." She said with a laugh. Neal turned to look at her.  
"Anyway it only lasted about a month, I slipped up, blew my cover." She said with a sad smile. Neal came and sat back down next to her.

"Why'd you run away?" he asked. She started to talk but got interrupted by Peter coming back into the room.

"Later." She mouthed to Neal, he smiled and nodded.

"Karl Hatcher is not real, but after running his face through a short list of criminals that fit his description we found out that David Markel is." He said. Neal thought for a few minutes then shook his head.

"It can't be this easy." He said.

"Why not?" Maddie asked.

"I just don't think he'd risk being that close to the mark. David might work there but I don't think he's our guy." Neal said.

Peter began to protest.  
"I didn't say he wasn't _the_ guy, he's just not the one who's gonna steal the diamonds. He's probably just the middle man." Neal explained.

"So we should go talk to David then?" Maddie offered.

"I think that sounds like a good idea." Peter said. Neal nodded in agreement and made his way to the door, waving Maddie through first and then following.

David's house was a small apartment, but it looked to Maddie like he wanted to live in a much bigger place. Items were all over the place, paintings on the walls, fancy vases on a small table. He was clearly in denial about the size of his apartment.

"Hi, Karl Hatcher right?" Peter asked, using his fake name so as not to scare him off, he still looked apprehensive though.  
"Yeah, who are you?" He asked.

"We wanted to talk to you about the possible diamond heist at your place of work. You know anything about that?" Neal asked, avoiding his question. David shifted uncomfortably; Maddie could tell he knew something.

"I heard about it, not sure what's gonna happen. Are you all with the police?" He asked

"Do you know of anyone who would want to rob the jewelry store?" Peter asked, avoiding his question again.  
"Not anyone I can think of. Is that all, I am kinda busy right now." David said. Peter nodded.

"That's it. Thank you." He said, turning away from the door. Maddie gave him a look; he nodded and pointed to the car.

"He knows something." She said once they were back in the car.

"That much was obvious." Peter said.

"Somehow we gotta work him, find how who he's delivering to." Neal said.

"We'll sleep on it for now. Come back fresh tomorrow." Peter suggested.

"Drop you off at your place?" Peter asked Neal. He sighed and nodded.

"Sure."

Maddie didn't realize how late it had gotten. She'd been so interested in the case she completely forgot she was being forced to be here. She had to admit though it was exciting work, and she somewhat enjoyed spending the day with Peter and Neal.

"See you tomorrow morning." Peter said as Neal slipped out of the car, he nodded.

"Night." He said shutting the door, then tapping on the back window "Night Maddie." He added. She smiled and waved at him, and then Peter pulled off.

She turned to watch him, he stood under the streetlight for a few good seconds glancing up at the sky, and then he turned around and went inside.

Maddie turned back in her seat and let her head rest against her hand. Neal was certainly a hard person to figure out.

**Alright so as I said, next chapter will be up sometime later this week, Friday at the very latest. **

**I wanted to thank you all for reviewing, it's great to know that my first shot at a White Collar fanfiction is liked! **

**I also wanted to answer a few questions you all have been asking in my reviews. Yes Maddie is only 22 and she'll stay that age, you'll learn a bit more about Maddie's past soon and hopefully that will let you all know why she was sent away, even at such a mature age. I know it seems strange now, that a 22 year old would be sent to live with relatives but just hold out for me, I promise it'll all be explained! **

**Also, this story was origionally written as just a friendship story, no romance between Neal and Maddie at all. However once I finished writing the end of this story, I decided I couldn't really let it go without a bit of romance, (it's kind of impossible to write Neal without it) so I have continued the story as a romance but I am not sure weather I'll post that part of it yet. And yes I understand that Maddie is 22 and Neal is around 32 but hey, I have a friend who's parents are ten years apart in age and they couldn't be more in love, and remember this is fiction, so maybe it's a bit of a stretch but like I said, I am not even sure I'll post the romantic part of this story yet, I'll see how much love I get for just the friendship part first :) **

**And now that I've talked forever, I'll let you all go! thanks so much for reading and please send me a review, I hope I didn't dash anyone's hopes with the answers I gave, I just wanted to explain what was going on in my mind when I wrote this. I promise you'll understand it more soon. Thanks again!**

**~Tara~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay so a little later than I promised but this is a long chapter so hopefully it'll make up for it. Also we get to learn a lot more about Maddie's past in here so I am sure you all will enjoy that. **

**On another note, holy banana's Batman! Talk about a mid season finale! I'll admit I was a bit shaken up over the whole thing but I have high hopes for Moz, I am sure it'll all turn out okay. anyway, enjoy!**

It was a little after ten when Maddie and Peter got back to the Burke household. There was a light on in the living room, signaling that Elizabeth was still awake. They walked in the door silently, just in case she was asleep on the couch as she sometimes was. Tonight however she was walking out of the kitchen in light blue pajamas.

"Hey you two, I was just about to head upstairs for the night." She said walking over to Peter and giving him a kiss.

"How was your first day?" She asked Maddie.

"Not bad actually." She said with a smile.

"You met Neal?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh yes, we've met." Maddie said making Elizabeth laugh.

"Well if you guys want there's some warm tea in the kitchen, just don't stay up to late." She said, making her way to the stairs.

"Maddie the guest room is the second on the left; you're stuffs already in there." She added as she walked upstairs.

Peter and Maddie went into the kitchen, Maddie sat down at the table while Peter pored them each a cup of tea.

"So, it wasn't a horrible day right?" He asked, coming to sit across from her.

"No, actually it was kind of fun." She said sipping at the tea. Peter smiled and nodded.

"Can I ask you something though?" Maddie said after a few minutes of silence.

"Sure."

"About Neal, he seems so nonchalant most of the time, but he was really quiet on the car ride to the jewelry store this afternoon, and his hands shake sometimes. Why is that?" She was curious, she didn't know if Peter was the right person to ask but she didn't want to ask Neal yet. Peter sighed.  
"I think it'd be better if you just let Neal explain. Give it a few days and maybe he'll feel comfortable enough to tell you." He said. Maddie nodded and finished off her tea.

"I am gonna get some sleep." She said, walking her glass to the sink and then turning back to Peter.

"Thanks, for a great day." She said, walking over to give him a quick hug and then make her way upstairs.

The next few days were the same, running over possible options, following leads that ended up being cold, the pattern went on for about a week.

Maddie and Peter were in early one morning, both were looking over case files when Neal came into the office. Peter glanced at the clock,

"Running a bit late this morning." He said without looking up from his work. Neal sat down next to Maddie and she handed him the file she was looking at, picking up another from the desk.  
"Yeah sorry, overslept a bit." He said simply. Maddie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked tired, his eyes had small circles under them and his hair looked a lot less neat today. She didn't say anything though.

"So any idea on how were gonna get this guy to flip on his partner?" Neal asked. Peter sighed.

"Not yet."

The three pored over case files and possible ideas for most of the morning but came up with none.

"I just have to think that there is no other man involved, it seems to me like it would be easy and probably simpler for him to pull this off himself." Peter said. They were in the car on the way back to the jewelry store to take another look around.

Neal shook his head.

"He'd have to be pretty smart to be able to hack the security cameras, get into the back room and the vault, take the diamonds and then make it back out before anyone caught him." He said.

Maddie was quiet in the back of the car, simply going over possibilities in her head.

She decided to take a more serious look around the store as she entered. She noticed the alarm system on the door, and once again all the cameras covering the cases and the door to the vault.

Neal and Peter had left her to talk to the owner and employers, David was there as well and Maddie could tell he was a bit antsy about all the feds being in the store. She diverted her gaze when he glanced her way and went back to looking at the cases holding the diamonds.

If he was going to try and steal these it would probably be easy. He worked for the store so it wouldn't be too hard to get behind the case and open it. She shook her head, for now it was all theory until they had something solid. She joined back up with Peter and Neal on the other side of the store. Neal smiled at her, one she read as a warm welcome and she smiled back.

They stayed at the store for a few more hours until the rest of the feds had everything they needed and then they headed back to the bureau.

They worked until almost ten, trying out different approaches for the heist, a few were somewhat possible but others both Maddie and Neal agreed wouldn't work for such a small enclosed building.  
They went home empty handed that day and it upset Maddie more than it should have.

Peter went up to bed almost immediately when they got home but Maddie was insistent on finding something so she pulled the case files from Peters briefcase and took them to the kitchen table. She pored over them for about an hour until she found a few things of serious interest. She glanced at the clock and saw it read eleven, she couldn't wake Peter now but she needed to tell someone. She thought for a few seconds and decided to go on impulse. She wrote Peter a quick note explaining where she was going and then tossed the case files into her purse, grabbed the keys to the car and took off.

She remembered the address from the times Peter had dropped him off although she'd never actually been up to the house.

She knocked on the door lightly; if anyone was actually up at this hour they were probably going to kill her for wanting in so late. She waited a few seconds when finally a woman came to the door.

"Hi, who might you be?" She asked nicely, ushering her into the home.

"I am Maddie, I am sorry if I woke you." She said.

"Oh no dear, I was up it's quite alright." The lady said.

"And how rude of me, I am June by the way." She said offering her hand for Maddie to shake.

"Nice to meet you. I am here for Neal is he around?" She asked.

"He stepped out for a bit but I think his friend is upstairs if you'd like to wait with him." She said leading her to the stairs. Maddie didn't exactly know this friend but she needed to talk to Neal so she would have to meet him.

"Sure that's fine, thank you." She said. June smiled

"First door on the right dear." She said, and then turned to go back into one of the rooms off the main entrance. Maddie smiled and glanced around before she went upstairs, Neal certainly had it good here, how he ended up in a place like this she didn't know but she figured his charm was somehow involved, it always was.

She walked up the stairs and turned right, there was a small hallway which she went down and then knocked on the door in front of her.

"I told you if you forgot your key again I wasn't going to let you in Neal." She heard a voice say from the other side of the door.

"It's not Neal." She said cautiously, she didn't know who this friend was or how willing he'd be to meet her. She heard the lock on the door click and the door opened slowly.

"Hi, I am Maddie." She said. The man on the other side of the door was a bit shorter than her, bald with thick black glasses and well dressed. He looked at her cautiously for a few seconds and then opened the door to her.

"The Maddie I've been hearing so much about from Neal I presume." He said. She blushed slightly, why Neal would be talking about her she didn't know.

"That's me I guess." She said taking the room in as she entered, just as lavish as the rest of the house

"Neal says you have quite the knack for the con as well, I was impressed seeing as how young you are." He said.

"I am twenty two, that's not exactly young." She replied, a bit of anger seeping into her voice, she hated when people said she was too young for things.

"Well Neal thinks you're pretty good so that's all that matters I guess." The man said taking a seat at the table in the kitchen.

"Is Neal gonna be back anytime soon, I need to talk to him about something important." She said. The man shrugged.

"He should be back soon I guess, he's been gone for a half hour now, that's usually the normal time." He said.

"Normal time for what?" She asked. The man's eyes grew wide.

"Nothing." He said simply, taking a sip of wine. She eyed him curiously.  
"You know I still don't know your name." She said. He nodded.

"No, you don't." And that was all he said.

He obviously trusted Maddie enough to be here but not enough to give her any information. She looked around and noticed the view from the large balcony.

"You mind?" She asked pointing outside. The man shook his head.

"Make yourself at home." He said.  
She opened one of the doors and stepped out into the night air. She couldn't see many stars but the lights from the city were enough for her. She walked over to the edge of the balcony and leaned against the stones taking it all in. She was only there a few minutes when she heard movement behind her.

"Bit past your curfew isn't it?" She turned to find Neal smiling at her.

"What about you?" She asked.

"Don't need a curfew; this thing knows where I am." He said flashing the tracking anklet at her, she shook her head.  
"And they think its okay for you to take random walks in the middle of the night?"  
"Not random, he takes one every day." The man said from inside. Neal rolled his eyes.

"Who is that?" She whispered. He gave her a confused look.

"He didn't tell you who he was?" She shook her head. He sighed and motioned for her to come inside.

"Maddie this is Mozzie." He said pointing at the mysterious man.

"You couldn't tell her that?" Neal asked him.  
"I didn't know how much information you wanted me to give out." He said honestly.

"How come you're here so late at night?" He asked turning back to Maddie.

"It's the case, I found some important stuff and Peters not up to talking so I thought I'd take a chance and see if you were." She said.

"I am always up for talking. Mozzie do you mind?" He asked.

"No problem, I'll be going. Don't be doing anything crazy, kids." He said drinking the last bit of his wine and then heading for the door.

"Night Moz." Neal said with a laugh. The door closed behind him and Neal turned to smile at Maddie.

"Okay so what's up?" He said walking over to take a seat on the couch next to a large bookcase. Maddie followed and pulled the few case files out of her purse.

"Alright well the first thing is, I think we've been looking at this all wrong." She said, laying out the files on the coffee table. Neal nodded and sat back, listening to her explain.

"We thought there had to be another man because it would have been too complicated for David to pull off on his own. But that's just it; it's not complicated at all." She said. Neal gave her a questioning look.

"David works at the store, he doesn't have to crack the security cameras at all, no one's going to think anything of a worker going into the back room." She said. Neal nodded slowly.

"The vault is another thing though." She said flipping a few pages to the pictures of the front of the vault.

"You see these here?" She said, handing the picture to Neal and pointing to a spot on the image.

"The small pinholes are lasers, there's a system that comes across the vault when the store closes. I highly doubt any of the people that work there know about it except the owner, that would be something I'd keep to myself because of situations just like this." She said.

"It makes sense." Neal said, handing the file back to her.

"It's probably why David lied on the application, so that they wouldn't suspect anything if something happened to the diamonds." Maddie explained.

"So he'll wait until close, and after he closes the shop and turns the cameras off he'll go for the diamonds." Neal said, Maddie nodded.

"Except he doesn't know about the extra system over the vault." She added.

"So he'll be caught either way." Neal finished. Maddie shrugged.

"That's what I am hoping." She said, Neal nodded and sat back against the couch.  
"I think it's pretty plausible, it's a rookie mistake to make but he was only ever arrested on one other charge of robbery so it would make sense." Neal said.

"You really are a lot smarter than I thought Maddie." He added, she smiled. His face got a bit cloudy though.  
"You're not planning on making a career out of it though are you?" He asked.  
"What do you mean?"

"Don't use those smarts the wrong way Maddie, don't play the con game." He said.

"I am not." She argued. He shook his head.

"Take it from someone who knows, it's fun for a while, but it's only going to lead you to a lot of trouble, and a lot of heartache." He said. She watched as he fisted his hands together tightly, trying to stop the light shaking.

"Is that what that is?" She asked, pointing to his hands, "Heartache?" He didn't answer, just held his hands together.

"What happened Neal?" She asked quietly. She didn't want to upset him, and maybe this was way too personal for only knowing him for a little over a week but the opportunity presented itself and she jumped on it.

"We met during a con; it was, probably seven or eight years ago. She was special, I could tell right away. And we spent a great few years together, but then I got caught, and all the promises I'd made fell apart." He said quietly. She could tell this was difficult for him.

"But when Peter got me out of prison I went looking for her, and I got so close." His voice broke off and she could see his hands start to shake again. She reached over carefully and took his hands in her own.

"Can I ask what happened?" She said slowly, she was going way past her boundaries but she figured she'd ask. He took a deep steadying breath and started to talk again.

"We were supposed to leave the country, go someplace safe. She was already on the plane when I got there. But then Peter showed up, and he tried to talk me out of it." He stopped again and took another deep breath. She didn't push him though, if he wanted to tell her he would.

"If I'd have just left sooner." He shook his head. "It should've been me on that plane."

She didn't exactly need to know what happened, she could figure it out herself, and she wouldn't push him to tell her all the details, he probably couldn't. She did want to know one thing though.  
"What was her name?" She asked. He laughed and smiled at her through teary eyes.

"Kate." He said simply. She nodded.

"Is that where you were tonight, visiting her?" She questioned. He didn't say anything, just nodded.

She knew how he felt, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling, but she'd never exactly told anyone else the story, besides the people who already knew. She glanced at Neal and saw the look on his face, maybe it was time to tell someone else.

"My dad was killed when I was sixteen." She said, he looked up at her surprised.

"We lived in a bad part of town then, didn't have much money. He went down the street to the corner store to get milk, he asked if I wanted to go along, I said yes, because mom and I were fighting and I wanted out of the house." She said with a bit of a laugh, Neal was still looking at her.

"We were only in the store for a few seconds when two boys busted in with guns demanding money, a few of the people in the store tried to be heroes, my dad included, but the boys just wanted the money to score and they were willing to do anything to get it. Including shooting my dad and the rest of the people who stood up to them." She sniffed back a few tears and swallowed the lump in her throat, she wouldn't cry, not in front of Neal.

"They took the money and ran, one of the other people in the store called 911 but they didn't get there fast enough, he died right in front of me." She said, taking another deep, shaky breath, trying to push the tears back. Neal sighed and pulled her into a hug; she wrapped her arms around his waist and let him calm her down. She leaned back after a minute or two and glanced down at her hands, she noticed them shaking and laughed.

"Now you've got me doing it." She said, Neal laughed and took her hands in his.

"I am sorry Maddie." He said, she nodded.

"I am sorry too, about Kate."

"Is that why you ran away?" He asked. She nodded.

"I am an only child, and things got worse at home after dad died, I just wanted out, but I blew it." She admitted.

"And the supposed bank robbery?" He questioned, she sighed and laughed.

"I was telling the truth with that one, I was just going to return the money, my dad taught me a few decent values." She said, he smiled, knowing that she wasn't a bad kid, she'd just been handed a bad life.

"Well I suppose we have more in common than we thought." He said with a smile, she smiled back and nodded.

"I am sorry I had to, bring the whole night down." She said. He shrugged.

"It's fine, I am glad you told me though." She nodded.

"So am I."

"So how did you end up here anyway, seems like an awfully nice place for a convict, and if I know my Uncle there's no way he set you up here." She said smiling. Neal laughed.

"No actually he had me at a flea motel a few streets down. I went to a thrift store to look for some clothes and met June, she offered me the guest room and since it's in my radius I took it." He told her. Maddie nodded.

"So charm was involved?" She asked, he laughed again,

"Just a bit."

They spent the next half hour discussing Neal's previous con's and the work with the FBI. Maddie told him she had always dreamed of going to college and majoring in art, but at the moment she was just taking night classes since that was all she could afford. She learned Neal was a big fan of art, which made sense, so he was happy to have a fellow art lover to talk to. They had just finished up a discussion about favorite artists when Neal glanced at the clock.

"Wow, you gotta get back home, Peter's gonna flip if he finds out you've been gone this long." He said. Maddie turned to glace at the time and saw it was almost one.

She closed up all the files and stuck them back in her purse, pulling out the car keys as well. Neal walked her downstairs to the door.

"Sleep well okay, I'll see ya tomorrow." He said, giving her another hug, she smiled and leaned up, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks." She said with another smile, he shut the door behind her and she drove home safely, thankful that Peter was still in bed when she got in.

**Okay so like I said a lot longer and we delve deeper into Maddie's past so I hope you all enjoyed that. Thanks for all your great reviews on the last chapter, I hope to get some more good ones for this chapter! Thanks again!**

**~Tara~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! another super fast chapter so I won't drag you down with a long note at the beginning. Enjoy!**

Neal was in before Maddie and Peter the next day; he was sitting at his desk going over a few things when they walked in. He greeted Maddie with a bright smile and warm hug and then walked with them up to Peter's office.

"So Maddie says she has some things to tell me." Peter said taking a seat. Maddie started explaining to Peter what she had told Neal last night, he was silent the whole time but nodded in agreement at what she was saying.

"So we're back to thinking it's a one man job." Peter said when she finished. She and Neal nodded.

"Alright, well I have to say I agree with most of what your presenting here and I can see you've already discussed it with Neal and he seems to be in favor as well so the only thing we have left to do is go talk to the owner." He said. Neal shot Maddie a smile as they left the office.

They pulled into the empty parking lot of the jewelry store and Peter switched off the car.

"You'll have to let Neal and I handle this Maddie you understand?" He asked. She nodded,

"Yeah, it's fine." She understood that since she wasn't an agent or working for the FBI she really had no legal standing to even be with Peter or Neal on a case but Peter was making an exception, however she knew she wasn't allowed to talk to anyone about the case so she was alright with letting Neal and Peter be in charge.

The three stepped out of the car and Peter and Neal walked a few paces in front of her as they approached the store. Neal turned around as he got to the door, planning on letting Maddie enter first as he usually did but she wasn't behind him.

"Maddie?" He said, figuring she'd jump out from somewhere and they'd go about things as normal but nothing happened.

"Maddie?" He said again, a bit louder. He looked over at the car but she wasn't still inside.

"Maddie!" He called for the third time, but still no answer. Peter pulled the door open and leaned his head out.  
"Neal come on, where's Maddie?" He asked. Neal turned around to face him, a frightened look growing on his face.

"I don't know." He said. Peter stepped outside the store.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He asked.

"She was just behind us five seconds ago, but now she won't answer me." He said, calling her name again after.

Peter postponed the meeting with the owner for now, and called in a few other FBI members to come down and start the search.

Neal walked around nervously, checking every place he could find but with no sign of Maddie. The team arrived soon and joined in the search which lasted an hour and ended up stretching four city blocks in every direction but there was still no sign of Maddie. Neal and Peter stayed in front of the store continuing to search there. Neal was going back over places he'd already looked when he called Peter over. He rushed over quickly and glanced at the item Neal held up for him.

"So what?" He asked, taking the small paperclip bracelet in his hands.

"It's Maddie's, she's been wearing it for the past two weeks." Neal told him, a concerned look flashed over Peters face and he rushed back to the car, Neal following close behind. Peter picked up his cell phone and punched in a few numbers as he and Neal got in the car.

"Jones, I need you to get everyone back to headquarters, and we should probably be expecting a ransom call soon." He said. Neal's stomach dropped, he couldn't believe this was happening, after keeping her safe all this time and now he'd gone and let her get kidnapped. His hands started shaking and he knew Peter caught sight of it before he clenched them into fists to make them stop. He hung up the phone and glanced at him.  
"Don't you dare start blaming yourself for this; I know what you're thinking." He said, Neal shook his head.

"It's my fault, if I'd have just kept a closer eye on her it wouldn't have happened, she could be," He stopped short and took a deep breath.

"Neal, this is not your fault, and I know your thinking it is but it's not. And I also know your thinking about what happened to Kate but don't. Maddie will be fine, we'll find her." Peter said reassuringly.

"What if we don't?" Neal said quietly, Peter didn't answer.

They both rushed into the offices when they got back, Jones met them halfway handing him a piece of paper.

"Ransom call already came." He said, pointing at the paper.

"What's it say?" Neal asked. Peter glanced over the paper and opted against telling Neal its contents.

"I want a list of everything this guy purchased in the last year and a phone record for the same amount of time." He said walking up to his office with Neal following close behind. Both of them knew full well who was behind it, Peter even more so now after reading the ransom.

"It's David isn't it?" Neal asked, shutting the door, Peter nodded.

"What'd he say?" He asked again.

"It doesn't matter Neal, right now all that matters is we find Maddie." Peter told him.

"She's already been hurt, that's what it says right." He said trying to snatch the paper off of Peter's desk. He didn't see the whole thing but he caught the word 'dies' and that was enough to send him into another panic.

"He's gonna kill her." He said, his voice losing the calmness it usually had.

"Not if we get to him first." Peter said. Neal sat down in a chair and put his head in his hands.

It was only a few minutes before Diana arrived at Peter's office door handing him a file of recent phone activity and Neal a list of purchases for the past year. She could see how upset the two were so she left them alone to work.

Neal pored over the list checking everything and trying to decide if it had any possibility of somehow harming Maddie. It wasn't till he came to the tenth page that he found something useful.

"That's it." He said, handing the paper to Peter and pointing at the purchase.

"When he got out of jail he bought a whole warehouse with the money left to him by his mother when she died." He said. Peter nodded and both men grabbed their jackets and raced down the stairs, gathering up other agents in the process.

**Bit of a cliffhanger I know, but don't worry the next chapter will be up in a few days so I won't leave you hanging that long, promise! as always reviews are very welcome. thanks for keeping up with me this far!**

**~Tara~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Took a little longer than I expected but I am in the process of re-doing my room so things got a little messy around here. Anyway, here's the resolution from the last chapter. enjoy!**

The ride to the warehouse was silent; Neal was concentrating on not making himself sick with worry while Peter was just praying nothing had already happened to Maddie. A full swarm of FBI agents pulled into the large parking lot of the warehouse, Neal rushed to the door while Peter explained to the agents what had to happen.

"If you find David you get him first, our priority here is the hostage." He said moving to stand with Neal at the door.  
"I don't hear anything." Neal told him.

"That doesn't mean she's not in there." Peter said. Neal nodded and they moved aside letting one of the S.W.A.T team members break down the door. In seconds there were masses of FBI agents storming the warehouse, calling out to each other and shouting for anyone in the building to come out. Neal and Peter stood waiting; they couldn't start looking for anyone until they were sure the building was clear. There wait only lasted a few minutes before a few agents pulled a struggling David over to Peter and Neal.

"Where's the girl David?" Peter asked.

"I told you, you keep poking around she dies." He said angrily, Neal fought back the urge to simply punch him.

"Tell us where she is." He yelled instead. He caught the quick glance David gave to the building.

"You'll never find her." He said.

"She's here, she's in the building." Neal told Peter.

"There's tons of shipment crates here Neal, she could be in any one." Peter told him, trying to be rational.

"We have to try." He said running off down a row of crates calling for Maddie.

The agents had mostly made their way back to the front of the building and were trying to get David to tell them where Maddie was. Diana and Jones had joined Neal in searching for Maddie, along with a few other agents and Peter was ready to join as well, David wasn't giving anything up.

Neal's voice was raw from yelling for so long but there was no way he was stopping. Along with Jones and Diana they'd made it through half of the building already. Peter joined them soon after and they took up calling again.

After another few minutes Diana and Jones stood back taking a break for a few seconds, Peter joined them.

"There has to be an easier way to do this." Diana said.

"The search dogs were all the way on the other end of town; they're getting here as fast as they can." Peter said.

"He's not gonna have a voice after this." Jones said watching Neal bang against the crates and yell for Maddie.

"This is really getting to him." Diana commented. Peter shook his head.

"I think Maddie was the first one to really get through to him about all the Kate stuff he's been dealing with, he seemed so much more normal when she was around, he's really worried he's gonna lose her." Peter said. The other two agents nodded and got back to helping Neal. Peter stood for a few more seconds until Neal shot him a glare.

"She's your niece, would you like to help find her before she dies or not?" He asked. Peter didn't answer, he'd never really seen Neal so upset before, this was something totally different. He could tell he was extremely upset over all of it. He was trying not to cry and as Jones said there was a pretty good chance he wasn't going to have much of a voice after all the screaming he was doing.

Peter sighed, Neal was right, Maddie was his niece. He was trying to be strong and not let the worry show but really he was scared out of his mind. How would he explain to her mother if anything happened to her?

He took another deep breath and started calling for Maddie again.

They were a little over halfway through the warehouse, still calling for Maddie when Neal put a hand up and shouted for them to be quiet.

"Maddie!" He yelled, hearing the ruff shake of his voice for the first time. But then he heard something else, someone yelled back. He turned to the other three, they heard it too.

"Maddie." He said again, moving further down the row of crates, trying to follow the voice. He couldn't make out what they were saying but he could tell where it was coming from. He kept calling her name and following the voice, getting closer and closer.

"Maddie?" this time he heard the response.  
"Neal?" They'd found her. Jones and Diana instantly rushed off to grab the rest of the team and bring them over.

"Maddie its Neal, Peter's here with me, are you okay?" He asked.

"I don't know, I think so, what happened?" She asked.

"David kidnapped you, your okay, Jones and Diana are getting the rest of the team, were gonna get you out of here." He said. Neal tried to pick the lock on the crate but it wouldn't open. Peter moved him aside and examined the lock.

"It's welded shut." He said, giving Neal a confused look.

"There's not a lot of air in the crate, its big enough for her to fit in and maybe two other people. They were just gonna let her run out of air." Neal said.

"Maddie, can you breathe okay?" He asked.  
"Not really. Why?" She told him.

"She's claustrophobic." Peter told Neal.

"Which means she's probably breathing heavier than normal, which means she's eating up air at a faster pace." He said.

"Maddie, you need to slow your breathing okay, I know your scared and were gonna get you out but you can't breathe so heavy, you need to conserve the air." He told her.

"Okay." She said.

Jones and Diana came back with about twelve other agents. Peter explained the situation and one of the agents went back to grab a few simple explosives.

"Maddie we have to blow the lock off the door, it's possible that parts of the crate could get blown up too. Can you tell which way you're facing?" Neal asked

"I think I am facing you." She said.

"Okay, you need to try and turn around the other way and then duck your head when I say so, so that any debris doesn't hit you, alright?" He said.

"That's not exactly easy to do when you're tied to a chair." She said with a bit of a laugh, he could tell she was short on breath.

"We need to get in there now, she's losing air." Neal told Peter

The agent came back a few seconds later, armed with a small explosive that he attached to the lock.

"Okay Maddie are you turned around?" Neal asked. It took a few seconds for her to answer back.

"Yeah."

"Alright then duck your head as far down as you can and close your eyes." He told her.

"Okay."

"Go ahead." Peter said. The agent lit the fuse and the lock blew off, along with a little less than half of the door.  
They waited a few seconds for the smoke to clear and then Neal and Peter rushed into the small crate.

"Hey." Maddie said, looking at Neal with drooping eyes.

"She needs oxygen." He said, Peter nodded and called for oxygen which was quickly brought.

"Here." Peter said holding the face mask up to her.

"Breath this, you'll feel better." He said. She took a few breaths as Neal tried his best to untie her arms and legs from the chair, squinting in the darkness of the crate.

Medical personnel swooped in and placed Maddie on a gurney, strapping the oxygen mask behind her ears and wheeling her out into a more open area. Neal sighed deeply.

"You did good." Peter said, patting his back.

"And thank you." He added.

"No problem, I am just glad she's okay." Neal said, Peter nodded.

"Me too."

**Hope that turned out alright and everything that I wanted to get across came across okay. bit dramatic and maybe a little out of character for Neal but in my opinion I think he can get pretty emotional about things, not that that's bad, I just hope this wasn't way out of character for him. **

**Let me know what you thought in a review, I know a bunch of people are checkin this story out and even if you leave an annon review that's fine by me, I just love to get feedback and know what you guys like and what you wanna see.**

**We're comming to the end of this plot line, and I am in the process of deciding if I want to post the rest of this story on here. so think it over, I am planning on writing a quick authors note after this part of the story is over, just explaining what would be comming next and asking how many of you would like to see more. But that won't be for another two chapters so don't worry about it now. **

**Thanks again and send in those reviews!**

**~Tara~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! I am sorry this has taken so long, I've been renovating my room this week. re painting and everything so I was super busy most of the day and exhausted at night and this is the first chance I've actually had to sit down at a computer and do anything. So forgive me for not posting sooner but you now get to enjoy this!**

Peter sat with Maddie in the ambulance as the doctors bandaged the few small cuts on her face and arms. She assured Peter that she hadn't even noticed them until now and that she simply must have gotten them by accident when she tried to run. This only frustrated her more because of how much care the doctors were giving to her.

"It's not like I am dying, it's just a few little cuts I think I am okay now." She said, rolling the sleeve of her shirt back down over the bandages. The doctors sighed and motioned that it was okay for her to leave. She sighed and exited the van. She smiled brightly as she saw Neal walking towards them, she glanced back at Peter who saw the smile on her face, he sighed.  
"Go ahead." She smiled even brighter and wrapped him in a quick hug then turned and ran toward Neal.

He smiled at her and let her wrap her arms tightly around him.

"Thank you so much." She said. He smiled and hugged her back.

"It was no problem." He said quietly, his voice still not completely better. She leaned back and smiled at him.

"Peter told me how upset you were, I am sorry about your voice." She said seriously, he shrugged.

"It'll come back. I just." He stopped and she saw his eyes go cloudy; she took his hands in hers and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"I didn't want to lose you." He finished. She nodded, understanding that somehow Neal saving her made the whole Kate thing a little more bearable for him. He pulled her into another tight hug and she smiled.

"Okay you two, quite enough." Peter said walking up behind Maddie.

"What, were not allowed to hug?" Neal asked, Maddie laughed, catching the playful spark in his eyes.

"Don't get me started Neal." Peter said with a shake of his head.

"There wrapping up things here so we can head back home." He added

"I called El a little while ago to let her know what was going on, she's insisting on making a decent dinner tonight because of how stressed we all must be, She's invited you as well." He said looking at Neal who smiled.

"Well I could always use a good home cooked meal." Neal said.

"Yes, since you usually only eat expensive takeout every night." Peter joked.

"Not every night." Neal admitted after a few minutes of silence. Maddie laughed at the two and wrapped her arms around there waists leading them back to the car.

"Oh boys, what are we gonna do with you." She said. Neal rolled his eyes and bumped her with his hip.

"Next time you go somewhere, try not to get kidnapped, I won't always be there for you, and you seem to have a way with trouble." He said smiling. She laughed and leaned into his embrace.

"I'll be sure to try and stay out of harm's way next time." She said.

"That's all we ask." Peter assured her.

It had been two weeks since Maddie had been rescued, She continued to work on the case, to help tie up loose ends, but mostly to help Neal write up the reports needed, he wasn't one for paperwork.

She was leaving for home the next day but she had one more stop to make before she went back to the Burkes to pack.

June let her in and greeted her with a smile, she had become somewhat of a regular here for the past few weeks but no one seemed to mind.

"Neal's upstairs dear." She told her. She smiled, told June she looked lovely today and headed up the stairs to Neal's apartment. She knocked lightly three times and was greeted by a smiling Neal. He stood aside and let her in, taking in how dressed up she was. He still held by the fact that if he hadn't known she was 22, he would have guessed she was younger. Her dark black hair fell across her shoulders today instead of the way it was usually pulled up off her face. She wore heels and black slacks, a bright, silky aqua colored blouse and topped the outfit off with the fedora she bought when he'd taken her shopping one weekend.

"You look lovely." He said, pulling her into a hug.

"Thanks, I had an interview for a job today at one of the boutiques in town." She told him, he gave her a questioning look, knowing that her house in Queens was a few miles away from the bustle of Manhattan.

"I decided a few days ago that I wanted to move into the city. The fast pace of it all was strangely calming for me." She explained sitting down at the small kitchen table, he nodded as he pored two glasses of wine and handed one to her.

"So you'll be in town then?" He asked.

"Yeah, I mean the apartment I am looking at is actually closer to Peter and Elizabeth's house, the rent's pretty cheap, but I'll be in town yeah." She said taking a sip of the wine. He smiled.

"Good, we'll have to go shopping more often, the hat looks lovely on you." He told her. She smiled and brushed it off her head, spinning it around in her hands a few times before she sat it on the table next to her.

"Thanks, it's kind of growing on me." She admitted. He smiled and sipped his own drink.

"Oh, I have something for you." He said, getting up and moving into his bedroom. He re-emerged a few seconds later with a small box in hand. He gave it to Maddie and motioned for her to open it. She sat down her glass and opened the small box, smiling at what she found inside.

"You lost it the day David took you, we found it at the jewelry store, I made a few adjustments, I hope you don't mind." He said.

She took the small paperclip bracelet from the box and slipped it back on her wrist, smiling the whole time. He must have cleaned it up because she vaguely remembered it falling in the dirt when she'd lost it that day. He had also woven an electric blue ribbon, his favorite color, through the tiny paperclips, holding it together much better.

"It's beautiful, thank you." She said with a smile, he nodded,  
"No problem." They finished off their drinks with light conversation and then he took her out onto the balcony, both sitting down on one of the large benches that were scattered about the roof.

"Maddie can I tell you something?" he asked as he handed her a blanket, the nights were getting slightly colder.

"Sure." She prompted. He took a seat next to her.  
"I am really glad I got to meet you." He said.

"You've helped me through a lot of things, and I know it would have been a lot harder to go through them without you looking out for me." He added. She smiled and took his hand in hers.

"It's no problem, you know I care for you Neal, I just wanna make sure your okay." She said.

"And I should really be thanking you; you're the one who saved my life." She said with a laugh. He laughed with her and nodded.

"It meant a lot to me that you were willing to come after me." She continued quietly.

"No one's ever really cared that much about me, besides Peter and El of course but there family, they don't count." She said, making him laugh again.

"Well I care for you Maddie; I wasn't going to let something bad happen to you, especially on my watch." He said. They were quiet for a few minutes, until Maddie decided to ask the question she'd been wanting to ask for a while.

"You were thinking about Kate that day, weren't you?" She asked quietly. He didn't answer at first, just continued staring out at the skyline.

"A little bit." He said. She nodded in understanding.

"Something just kind of took over and, somehow Kate came to mind and I thought." He stopped, not quite knowing what else to say.

"You thought if you saved me, it would make up for not saving her?" She offered, he nodded,

"Something like that."

She took a deep breath, knowing no matter how much he said he was, he'd never really be over it.

"I am sure wherever Kate is, she's forgiven you. Besides you couldn't have known what was going to happen." She said, holding his hand a little tighter. He sighed and shook his head and she understood that it was never going to really be okay for him.

"You have a lot of people looking out for you Neal. Peter and El and me, and even Mozzie. And I am sure there are a lot of people back at the Bureau who care for you too." She told him, he didn't say anything just looked up at the sky. She sighed and leaned in close, resting her head on his shoulder, he wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned down to kiss the top of her head lightly.

"What would you say to her?" She asked, following his gaze back up to the black sky. She felt him sigh and suddenly regretted asking.

"I think I'd just tell her that I love her." He said quietly. She nodded and smiled

"I think that would be enough." She said, he nodded in agreement and pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you." He whispered in her ear, she smiled and hugged him back.

"Anytime Caffrey, anytime." She said with a laugh, lightening the mood.

"So where are you staying till things get sorted with the new apartment?" He asked a few minutes later, after the moment had passed.

"I was going to ask Peter and Elizabeth if I could crash at their place, but I'd feel bad, I've already put them out for a month. I am sure I could stay in a hotel for a while." She decided.

"Or you could crash here." He said, smiling down at her.

"The sofa pulls out into a bed, and besides it'd be nice to have some company. I've kind of always wanted a younger sister to look after." The bright playful spark was back in his eyes.

"Really, what a coincidence, I've always wanted an older brother to pick on." She said, matching the playful wit. He smiled.

"So it's settled then, you'll stay here for a while." He told her. She smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I should warn you though, my apartment get's a lot of people coming and going. Mozzie just seems to appear here whenever he feels like it, and this thing." He glanced down at the anklet.

"Means Peter could be here anytime, since he constantly knows where I am." He finished. She laughed.

"That's okay; I don't mind a little action and excitement now and then." She said. He nodded and stood up, offering his hand, she accepted it and he led her back into the apartment.

"Well that's good, because sometimes things can get a little crazy around here." He explained.

"Nothing's ever easy with you is it Neal?" She asked with a laugh.

"And that's the best part." He said, joining in the laughter

**Alright so technically this was the last chapter of the story when I'd written it just as a 'friendship' story. however I've continued on from this point, I think I am now up to 20 some chapters, however it continues as a 'romance' story between Neal and Maddie. There's a lot to be explained with it so in a few days I am planning on putting up an authors note just to explain where we'll be going from this point, if I get enough reviews asking me to continue. **

**So please send in those reviews, they really mean alot to me and I love seeing what you all have to say. Thanks for reading and I'll be posting that note in a few days!**

**~Tara~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello once again everyone! so were starting out on the second half of this story. lot's of changes comming up, here we go!**

Maddie left Neal's place around seven, Elizabeth was making dinner for her last day with them and she didn't want to be late. She caught a cab that got her back to the house just on time. She slipped in the door and upstairs to change without Peter or El even noticing she was back. She came down for supper a few minutes later, joining her aunt and uncle at the dinner table.

"So how was the job interview?" Elizabeth asked.

"Great actually, they said not many people have applied for the position so I might get lucky." She answered with a smile.

"Where is this at again?" Peter questioned.

"Just a little boutique here in town." She said, sipping the glass of wine Elizabeth pored for her.

"But you live out in Queens." Peter said, Maddie smiled.

"Not anymore." She said.

"I decided it was time to move out of the house, start my life somewhere new. Spending the month in the city with you guys has really shown me what I want, so I am moving into Manhattan." She explained.

"That's wonderful, I am so happy for you hun." Elizabeth said.

"You have somewhere to stay?" Peter asked, ever the protector.

"Yeah, actually the place I am looking to get is just a few blocks down from here, and Neal said I could crash in his apartment till everything's finalized." She said. Peter raised an eyebrow.

"Neal's gonna let you stay with him?" He asked. Maddie nodded,

"Yeah, he said there's an extra bed, and he wouldn't mind the company." She told him.

Peter still had an uneasy look.

"I think it's a great idea." Elizabeth said, catching onto the uncertainty.

"And besides Peter, think of it this way. If Maddie stays with Neal for a while, you'll always know what he's up to." She added with a smile. Maddie shook her head, finishing off the rest of her dinner.

"No, I already promised him, you won't get any info out of me, unless it's totally crucial." She said. Peter sighed.

"He's already corrupting her." He said, shaking his head.

"Next thing you know she'll be breaking into banks and stealing my wallet." He added, taking another sip of his wine. Maddie sighed and reached into the pocket of her pants, pulling Peter's wallet from it and handing it back to him, suppressing a smile.

"You're kidding?" He said astonished. Maddie and Elizabeth both laughed.

"Don't worry Peter, I am not gonna go around forging bank bonds if that's what you think." She said, standing to take her plate over to the sink.

"I just think it's a bad idea. Neal doesn't need any more encouragement to goof off and if your there he's only gonna want to impress you and show off." He said. Maddie shrugged her shoulders as she walked back to the table.

"Well, who knows." She said sipping the last bit of wine from her glass and grabbing her hat off the table.

"Maybe he'll learn a thing or two from me instead." She said, flipping the hat up her arm and onto her head and then leaving the room.

Elizabeth continued laughing as she picked up Peter's plate along with her own and walked to the sink.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked.

"Because, you're so worried about her." She said.

"I just don't think this is a good idea." He admitted. Elizabeth came to sit down next to him.

"It's not like she's living there permanently, it'll just be a few weeks until she get's the apartment. What's the worst that could happen?" She asked.

"You have no idea." He said shaking his head. She laughed again and kissed him.

"She'll be fine." She said reassuringly.

"If anything, it'll just lead to Neal spending more time here because he needs a break from Maddie, you know how overbearing she can get sometimes." She added.

This didn't make the situation any more appealing to Peter.

It took Maddie less than a day to get all her stuff packed and over to Neal's. She ended up fitting everything into three suitcases and two boxes.

"Not a whole lot." Neal commented as he helped her move the stuff up to his part of June's house.

"Wasn't a lot I wanted to keep." She said simply, he didn't question any further, understanding the whole 'moving on' thing, he'd done it tons of times himself.

Once they had everything up to his apartment, she stacked the boxes in a corner and kept the suitcases on the empty floor of Neal's closet.

A few hours later Neal was sitting on the couch looking over a case file Peter had given him, with Maddie's head resting in his lap, she was stretched out, reading one of his books. There was an odd comfort to it all and Maddie remembered back a few nights ago when he'd first asked her to stay, he said he'd always wanted a younger sister.

"So you're an only child?" She asked, letting the book fall against her chest as she waited for his answer. He closed the file and looked at her closely; gauging the level of things he could trust her with.

"I had one older brother." He said, she nodded slowly.

"Were leaving it at that aren't we?" She asked, already knowing the answer. He smiled at her, his blue eyes sparking as he opened up the file again, she laughed.

"I think this is going to be the best few weeks of my life." She said with a smile.

"Even better than last month when you were kidnapped?" He joked.

"Much better." She answered

Mozzie came over for dinner that night, bringing along fancy Italian take out, which she learned was one of Neal's favorites. They ate while discussing Neal and Peter's newest case and then talked about Maddie's life desires over a bottle of wine.

"Nothing's set in stone yet; I mean my career could change overnight." She explained to the two men. Both had taken a keen interest in the fact that she was studying art and taking night classes at a local collage.

"But you're a pretty good artist?" Mozzie asked.

"Yeah I guess I am okay." She said, modesty creeping into her voice.

"You don't think-"  
"She's not doing anything illegal for your Moz." Neal said, cutting him off.

"I wasn't going to ask that she do anything illegal, for your information." He snipped.

"Then what were you going to ask?" Neal challenged. Mozzie glared at him for a few seconds and then changed the subject.

"So what do you plan on doing after collage?" he asked, still staring at Neal. She laughed at their antics but answered the question anyway.

"Get a job; work on selling my own original pieces, whatever comes my way." She said, Mozzie nodded.

"That's how I go about things, just go with the flow of life." He said, taking a sip of his drink. Neal shook his head.

"And the flow always happens to bring him by my house at the most inconvenient times." Neal said, taking the glass from his friends hand and drinking what little was left.

"Hey, I wasn't finished with that." He argued.

"Yes you were, you know there's a limit when you come here, especially since you have to get back home and you refuse to use public transportation." Neal said, taking his and Mozzie's empty glasses to the sink.

"I don't live that far." Mozzie commented, standing up to slip his jacket on.

"I know, I am not worried about you getting home, I am worried about what you'll do on the way." Neal said with a smile. Mozzie shook his head and sighed.

"Oh to be young and not worry about overdrinking." He said dramatically, making Maddie laugh.

"Goodnight Moz." Neal said, walking to the door to open it.

"Night Moz." Maddie said, offering him a smile.

"Goodnight dear Mona." He said turning around.

"Neal." He said, patting his friend on the back and slipping out the door. Neal shut it behind him and sighed.

"Mona? Maybe I should walk him home." He said, reaching for his jacket.

"No he's fine, he just calls me Mona, says I have an uncanny resemblance to the Mona Lisa." Maddie explained with a laugh. Neal sat back down at the table, his worries about Mozzie gone.

"Not sure if that's an insult or a compliment, I have to hope I don't look that old." She said, Neal laughed.

"Mona Lisa is a work of art, but you're far prettier than she is anyway." He said, picking up her empty glass and adding it to the other's in the sink.

"Thanks." She said, letting a small smile slip onto her face for a few seconds.

She stood up and turned to walk over to the doors leading out to the balcony, wrapping her arms around herself as she stared out at the skyline.

"You okay?" Neal asked, coming to stand behind her.

"Yeah, it's just, starting a new life, it's a lot to deal with." She said truthfully.

"It get's easier." He said, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her into a hug.

"Trust me, I am expert." He added with a laugh. She smiled up at him and then looked back out at the skyline.

"I know, it's just, living at home with mom for so long just became so easy, it's hard packing everything up and leaving but, being up here with you guys last month. Well, getting kidnapped puts things into perspective." She said, she could feel him laugh, and he instinctively pulled her a bit closer but she let it slide this time.

"It's just that, you think you have all the time in the world, but then something like that happens and you realize, you need to go do the things you want to do now before it's too late." She said, he nodded and kissed her head lightly.

"Trust me, I know." He said, moving into the small living room and moving things around so she'd have somewhere to sleep.

She helped him move the table and chairs to the side and he pulled out the extra bed while she went to change. They each sat in their own beds a few minutes later, Maddie rolling onto her side and pulling the light covers up, while Neal simply lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"Thanks again for letting me stay here Neal." She said, it was dark so she couldn't see but she could hear the slight smile in his voice, mixed in with a bit of sadness.

"It's no problem." He said simply. She sighed and settled down, closing her eyes and falling asleep.

**Alright so I just wanna say again, please go check out the author's note I posted if you haven't already, it's just one chapter back. I really want everyone to read it so they understand what's gonna be going on with the second half of this story. **

**Also, please send me a review letting me know if you'll be taking part in my little Tumblr project I had mentioned in the note. I'd really love to do it, I think it's a great way to keep in contact, and that way you'll all know of updates ahead of time, you can feel free to ask me questions and get sneek peeks of chapters from me. I really think it'd be lots of fun but so far I've only gotten one responce to it and I don't wanna worry myself with something else if not alot of people are going to take part in it. So please, please check it out, I really think it'll be alot of fun for everyone!**

** My Tumblr adress is included in the author's note, just take out the spaces. Like I said, you don't have to get a Tumblr to take part in this, you can simply bookmark the page and check back for updates. **

**If you've decided to take part in this here's our first order of buisness, I'll be posting a quick Q&A over on my Tumblr, hopefully with questions given by you. So when you review (which I hope you will) ask me a question as well, it can be about this story, or a particular chapter. It could also be something about myself (so long as it's not overly personal) but ask me anything. and then I'll take your questions and post the answers up on my Tumblr in a mass post. **

**So please check out the author's note, let me know in a review if your intrested in taking part in the Tumblr project, review and send me questions for the Q&A!**

**(Sry, very long winded end note there, forgive me!)**  
**~Tara~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright, back to the real stuff now. Chapter 9!**

Maddie was up early the next morning, not quite used to sleeping in a bed that wasn't her own. She glanced at the clock and saw it was a little after six in the morning. She sighed but stood up; she wasn't going to get back to sleep so she might as well do something.

She moved around quietly so as not to wake Neal who was still sleeping soundly it seemed. She rooted around in the duffle bag she had packed with strictly essentials, and pulled out her sketch pad and a few pencils. It was Monday which meant she had her art class at the collage later that night so she needed to get some kind of drawing in. She walked out onto the balcony and sat down, taking in the city skyline in the early morning.

She didn't exactly like taking art classes, she was never one for the school system, but she knew she needed it if she wanted to get anywhere with her career, the good news was, now that she was staying in town it wouldn't take her as long to get to the campus and back, so this was a plus.

She was seated out on the balcony for a while, sketching the beautiful stone work of the balcony with the clam skyline of New York. She heard Neal behind her after a while, moving out onto the balcony with her.

"Morning." He said, sitting down next to her and passing her a cup of coffee, which she gratefully took.

"That's really good." He told her, glancing at the drawing she had in her hand.

"Thanks." She said with a smile, taking a sip of the drink.

"Wow, so is this." She said, taking another sip. Neal laughed, and drank his own coffee.

"Everyone loves June's coffee." He mused, staring out at the skyline.

"Don't you have to be at work?" She asked a few minutes later.

"Don't you?" he questioned, turning to stare at her.

"I haven't gotten my job yet, you however already have one." She told him, standing to move inside the apartment.

"I don't think Peter will mind me being a little late." He said, shutting the door to the balcony behind him.

"Besides, it's not like he doesn't know where I am." He added, kicking the anklet lightly with his other foot. She laughed but pointed back at this bedroom anyway.

"Go get dressed." She said, turning to the sink.

"Yes mom." He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice, she turned around to stick her tongue out at him, making him laugh as he moved into the bathroom.

She cleaned up the glasses from last night and this morning and then set to making breakfast. She called to Neal asking if he wanted anything but he declined politely saying he'd pick something up when he got to work.

"So what are you up to today?" he asked as he stood in the living room, fixing his tie.

"Not sure exactly, I'll probably just hang around town." She said walking up behind him and handing him his suit coat.

"I am not sure when I'll be home but June should be here all day so don't worry about anything." He said pulling her in for a quick hug.

"Tell Peter I say hi." She called after him as he left.

"Will do, see ya tonight." He called back.

This left Maddie alone in his apartment. She finished making and eating her own breakfast and then she set to fixing the living room up, folding her bed back into the couch it was and righting the furniture. Then she sat herself down on the couch and glanced around the room for something to do.

She took her time looking through the books that lined the large bookcase in the living room, finding a few classics mixed in with biographies on artists and con men that Neal had written in. She soon ran out of things to do though, she didn't want to snoop; she knew Neal was a private person so she didn't want to go looking and invade that privacy. So instead she got dressed, flipped a hat onto her head, grabbed her purse and headed out into the city.

She spent most of the day simply walking, mapping out the city in her mind so she knew where she was going and what kind of things were nearby. She found the quickest way to the college campus where she'd take her night classes and even did a bit of shopping as well. It was around five when she caught a cab back to June's house, she gave her a warm smile and a hug as she entered.

"Neal just got back a little while ago so he's upstairs." She said sweetly.

"Thanks June." She said, as she started up the stairs to Neal's apartment. She heard music as she walked up to the door. She knocked lightly and then opened the door, letting the music filter out into the hallway until she closed the door behind her. She sat the few bags she had down at the door and smiled, her love for Neal growing as she listened to Frank Sinatra filter through the apartment. Neal was sifting through clothes in his closet; he'd already changed from the suit he'd left in this morning to deep red lounge pants and a white t-shirt. She walked over quietly and sat down cross legged on his bed, watching with a smile on her face as he turned around and smiled at her.

"Hey, how was your day?" he asked turning back to the closet. She let out a small laugh, she should have known better, you can't sneak up on Neal Caffrey, he knows everything.

"It was good. Yours?" She asked. He shrugged.

"As good as spending your day under FBI supervision can get." He said with a smile.

She let herself lay back on his bed and she hummed along with the music. He turned to look at her and smiled.

"You know Sinatra?" he asked, she smiled and nodded.

"Of course, only one of the most brilliant singers ever, in my opinion." She said, sitting up. He gave her a shocked look and then shook his head.

"Yeah, it's obvious you're not related to Peter." He said, she laughed and stood up, starting for the kitchen when he grabbed her hand. She spun around to face his bright blue eyes, and a smile that had trouble written all over it.

"Dance with me?" He asked simply. She smiled and let out a quick laugh but agreed anyway.

He spun her out into the open area between the kitchen and the living room and then pulled her in close, looping one arm around her waist while the other held her hand in his. She smiled and laughed as he spun her around and occasionally led her gracefully in a dip and both ended up singing along to '_Come Fly With Me'_ as they danced around Neal's apartment. Both were laughing too hard to hear the knock on the door the first time but once the song had ended and Neal continued to sway Maddie silently, they noticed the knocking. Neal smiled and Maddie extracted herself from his embrace as he went to answer the door.

"Peter, what are you doing here?" She heard Neal ask as she sat down on one of the chairs in the living room.

"I just came to check in on Maddie." He said, stepping into the apartment.

"I am fine Peter, I am big girl, and if I have a problem I'll let you know." She said as he walked into the living room.

"I just wanted to make sure things were going okay." He said honestly.

"No, it's horrible, he's starving me and I haven't been allowed to drink or go to the bathroom in two days." She said with a straight face, Neal suppressed a laugh from his spot behind Peter.

"Okay I get it, your fine." He said, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Then I guess you don't want the pizza I ordered before I got here." He said turning to leave. Maddie and Neal both shared the same look.

"No, actually you can stay." She called; he stopped at the door and smiled, then turned back and joined the two in the living room.

"So what have you been up to." He asked casually.

"Dancing." Neal said simply, Peter gave him a curious look.

"Dancing?" He questioned, Neal nodded. Peter looked to Maddie for explanation.

"Neal asked me to dance." She said, she didn't know what more Peter wanted. He shook his head and changed the subject.

The pizza came later and the three ate together. He left around seven and Maddie started collecting her things for class.

"I'll only be gone an hour, it's just from seven thirty to eight thirty." She told Neal as she stood at the door to leave.

"I might not be here when you get back, but."  
"I know where you'll be." She said simply, not trusting to bring up Kate at the moment.

She said goodbye to him again and then slipped out the door and off to class.

It was probably the longest hour ever and she was grateful when it was over. The ride back to Junes was short and she was able to let herself in with the extra key Neal had given her to the house and his apartment. June was in the large living room when she came in and she poked her head in to say goodnight.

"Did Neal leave already?" she asked.

"Yes, he left a while ago; he should be back soon though." She said, both knowing where he went.

"Okay, I'll be upstairs then." She said, smiling.

"Goodnight Maddie." June said.

"Night." She called from the stairs.

Neal's apartment had a whole different feel when it was empty at night. The light from the city shown in the balcony windows but it was otherwise dark inside until she turned lights on.  
She slipped into something more comfortable and then sat down in the living room with the book she'd been reading yesterday. It was another few minutes before Neal arrived and neither said anything about where he'd been.

They talked quietly the rest of the night, joking, and making small talk and avoiding tender subjects that neither wanted to talk about. It was around midnight when they finally got to sleep but Maddie was woken up around three in the morning to Neal's quiet shouts in his sleep.  
She'd heard them the night before but hadn't done anything, knowing full well it was a nightmare about Kate. She wasn't sure what to do, so she just sat and watched, hoping he would be okay. He quieted down after a few minutes and she was able to go back to sleep but they seemed worse tonight and she didn't want to just sit and watch.

She carefully got out of her bed and walked over to his, sitting down on the edge of it and stroking his hair away from his face.

"Neal, it's okay." She whispered, he didn't seem to hear her at first but she stayed with him for the five, then ten minutes that it lasted, stroking his forehead lightly and gently running her fingers through his hair to try and calm him down. Eventually he fell back asleep and she carefully slipped him from her embrace and then moved back to her own bed and slowly fell back asleep.

**Okay, I hope you enjoyed it, I promise we'll be getting into figuring out the whole romance thing soon. **

**Now, I've taken the author's note down so I hope you all checked it out. If not I'll just tell you that I've started a YouTube Channel for you all. The adress is below (Take out the spaces) if you watch the welcome video you'll understand everything. So please go do that! **

**http: / www. youtube. com /user / Tara19931**

**The next update for the story should be within a few days, possibly early next week. so keep sending reviews, it keeps my muse going! that's everyone!**

**~Tara~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone. Sorry this took a little longer than I expected, I got kind of a nasty cold a few days ago and have basically been living on the sofa, this is the first time I've gotten to sit down at my laptop. I am feeling better though so I thought I'd post this and the next chapter will hopefully be up by mid or end of week. enjoy chapter 10!**

She woke up late the next day, Neal had somehow already left for work without waking her, but he left her a small note on the kitchen table.

_Maddie, _

_Left for work so don't worry about me, Mozzie said he'd be coming over later this afternoon to 'check on things.' Not sure what he means by that, but just try and keep him occupied till I get back, also, June says there's a lovely breakfast waiting for you downstairs. I'll see you later. _

_XOXO_

_Neal_

_P.S. _

_Thanks for your help last night. _

She knew what he meant and she also knew that he probably wouldn't bring it up later so she smiled and folded the note up, slipping it into her purse as she left the room to get breakfast.

June was right, the breakfast was delicious, and she stayed downstairs for a while, chatting with June about nothing in particular. She excused herself around eleven though, moving back upstairs to straighten out the apartment before Mozzie arrived.

She cleaned the place up quickly and then started rooting through her bags for something nice to wear. It took almost a half hour but she finally decided on a pair of dark skinny jeans with knee high brown boots, and a violet colored blouse. She changed quickly and applied a light amount of makeup, making herself at least look presentable. Then she moved back into the kitchen and pored herself a glass of wine, and sat at the table to wait.

She wasn't sure why she was nervous about Mozzie coming over. She didn't know him all that well, they'd only really been in the same room together maybe two times, but he was a bit quirky and sometimes she didn't quite know how to handle him. It was a lot easier when Neal was here to deflect any off handed comments but for now it would just be her and Moz.  
She waited patiently for another few minutes before he showed up. She glanced at the clock before she opened the door, it was a little after noon, Neal wouldn't be back until sometime after five. She took a deep breath; this was going to be interesting.

She opened the door with a smile.

"Hey Mozzie." She said cheerfully. He moved inside before she'd stepped away from the door.

"Wine first, then we'll talk." He said simply. She had to suppress a laugh, and remind herself quickly of the three glass limit Neal kept him to, she didn't want to be blamed for anything. Maddie sat back down at the table and waited for Mozzie to join her.

"Now, you're nervous I can tell. I understand though, I suppose I'd be nervous if I were alone with myself and I didn't know me quite well." He said, and then paused with a thoughtful look; Maddie figured he was trying to make sense of what he'd said.

"Well I guess I am a little nervous." She admitted.

"Good, nerves are a good thing; get's your adrenalin running." He told her, taking a sip of wine.

"Do you just come here to drink Neal's wine?" She asked, a smile forming on her face when he didn't answer right away.

"No." he said simply.

"So how are things, Neal's treating you well I hope?" He asked.

"He's treating me fine. Why is everyone so worried he won't?" She asked. Mozzie gave her a curious look.

"What do you mean everyone?"

"Well yesterday Peter stopped in to check on me; this morning June kept asking me how things with Neal were going. Everyone seems to think he'll do something horrible to me, why?"

Mozzie sighed and took another sip of wine before he answered.

"It hasn't been that long since Kate." He started off, Maddie tensed; she knew this wasn't a good subject.

"Besides Alex, who you don't know and probably never will since she's in Italy, Neal hasn't really had many, female companions, since Kate." He explained.

"I am just a friend." She said, at least she thought she was, maybe Neal saw her as something more and she didn't realize it.

"Neal's dealing with a lot of things right now, everyone is just checking to make sure that the presence of another female in his life hasn't sent him into a tailspin. You understand?" Mozzie asked, Maddie nodded. They sat quiet for a few minutes.

"He has nightmares." She said finally. Mozzie stared at her for a few seconds.

"About Kate?" He asked, she nodded.

"How bad?"

"I think it depends, my first night here he had one but it wasn't anything horrible, he just called for Kate. Yesterday it was worse though, he kept shaking and shouting, I sat with him for almost a half hour trying to calm him down." She told Mozzie. He looked thoughtful for a while.

"Don't tell him you told me." He said finally, she nodded. She probably shouldn't have told him in the first place but she was worried about Neal. They sat quiet for a while more before Maddie finally asked the new nagging question.

"Does Neal think of me as more than a friend?" She asked quietly, not quite looking Mozzie in the eye.

"I don't think even Neal knows what he thinks of you as. If you want my advice, don't write yourself off as anything, see where Neal takes it and just go with him." He said. Maddie nodded.

"It could be good for Neal to try a relationship again; it might help move him past Kate." He added.

She didn't exactly loath the idea of being more than a friend to Neal, she'd be the first to admit he was positively gorgeous, but she also didn't want to be a lab rat for Neal's relationship problems. She'd never really been in a serious relationship before, she didn't want to end up with a broken heart and lose Neal's friendship. She sighed, for right now she guessed she'd just have to go wherever Neal took her, and maybe Neal only saw her as a friend, which she was more than okay with. She took another sip of wine and shook her head; things just got a whole lot more difficult.

Mozzie stayed with her the rest of the afternoon and they ended up having quite a lot of fun together. When Neal found them they were out on the balcony, watching the people down below, Maddie was in hysterics at something Mozzie had said. He walked out quietly to join them.

"What'd I miss?" He asked, coming to stand behind them. Maddie turned quickly and gave Neal a bright smile and a tight hug, keeping her arm around his waist as she looked back at Mozzie.

"Mozzie was narrating the conversation between these two people as they walked by, I am not sure he got it right, but it was pretty funny." She said, starting to fall into laughter again. Neal shook his head and slipped the drink from her hand and then glared at Mozzie.

"I seriously need to get a wine case with a lock." He said. Maddie quickly shook her head.

"No, he's only had three, I made sure." She said. Neal motioned for Mozzie to head inside and Neal followed, Maddie still wrapped in his one armed embrace.

"It's not really Mozzie I am worried about right now." He said, closing the balcony door behind him as he let Maddie go sit in one of the chairs in the living room.

"I am fine." She said, determination filling her voice.

"How many?" Neal whispered to Mozzie, as he rinsed the glasses out quickly at the sink.

"Only three, she said if I had a limit she should have one too. I don't think she's drunk, just tipsy." Mozzie informed him, Neal nodded and walked with Mozzie back over to the living room, taking a seat on the sofa as Mozzie took the other chair next to Maddie.

"So how was work?" She asked, a bit of normalness back in her voice.

"Not bad, same old stuff." He told her, slipping his tie from around his neck.

"What's the case this week?" Mozzie inquired.

"Art theft, but it's pretty cut and dry, we should have it wrapped up soon." He answered, Mozzie nodded and Maddie let her head fall back against the chair, closing her eyes to rest.

When she woke up the apartment was empty and dark. She rubbed her eyes and then her head as she sat up slowly, maybe she'd drank a little more than she should have. She looked around for signs that someone was still here but everything was quiet. She stood up and walked into the kitchen, finding a small folded paper flower sitting on the kitchen table. She picked it up and saw her name written across one of the petals in Neal's handwriting. She opened it slowly and read.

_Maddie, _

_Stepped out for a while, you know where I am at if you need me, June's downstairs as well. Mozzie said to tell you goodbye and that he'd see you later. I should be back soon so don't worry. _

_XOXO_

_Neal_

She smiled slightly and folded the flower back up, slipping it in her purse along with the note from this morning.

She then went about the process of getting herself and her bed ready for the night.

Neal still wasn't back when she was done so she figured he must have just left when she woke up. She sighed and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes and running through the day's events in her head. The thought she kept coming back to the most was Neal's feelings for her. She couldn't decide whether she was bothered by the fact that she could be used as the 'rebound' girl, or not. She didn't even know if Neal would want to be her boyfriend, or anything more than a friend for that matter. He was older than her for starters, she was only twenty two, she didn't know his exact age but she had to guess he was at least thirty. She knew age didn't exactly matter now a days but she assumed he'd probably be more attracted to someone close to his own age. The whole thing was stressing her out more than she was willing to admit and thinking about it only made her head hurt more than it already was so she put the thought out of her head and simply waited for Neal to come back home.

It was another good ten minutes before she heard him open the door, and she moved to sit herself up a little straighter in the small 'sofa-bed' he'd given her. She watched him shrug his jacket off and he took a deep breath before turning around. She gave him a smile and he smiled back, walking into the room.

"Have a nice nap?" he asked, moving to get himself ready for bed since it was well after eleven and he had to be up early again the next day.

"How long was I out?" She questioned, he laughed.

"A few good hours, Mozzie and I sat around for a while after you fell asleep. Did you eat something?" He asked, poking his head out of the bathroom, he knew she hadn't gotten supper.

"Yeah, I picked at a few things while you were out." She said. And she had, her stomach wasn't exactly in the mood for a whole meal but she did eat.

"Good, there's Tylenol in here if you want some." He called; she took a second to think about it and then felt the sharp pound of her headache and decided she might as well.  
"Yeah, sure." She said, slipping out of the bed to get herself a glass of water and then accept the small pill from Neal as he came back out of the bathroom.

"Thanks." She said, swallowing it quickly and then moving back to her own bed.

She didn't exactly know what else to say after that, she could tell Neal didn't exactly want to talk so she let him flip off the light and slip into bed.

"Night." She said quickly.

"Goodnight Maddie." He said, and she could tell the warmth was there in his voice so she let out a silent sigh of relief that he was still okay. Feeling better, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Tonight it was Maddie's turn to have a nightmare. It didn't even start out bad, it was just her and Neal and Peter walking around New York, nothing exactly exciting. But eventually things changed and she felt herself being dragged away from the two men and then everything was dark and she was finding it extremely difficult to breath.

Neal didn't notice at first, she wasn't making overly loud noises, just little noises he could barely hear and quickly wrote off and something she did in her sleep, it didn't really bother him. It was when he started hearing her struggle to find breath and he could hear her crying and calling for him that he got worried. He sat up and with the light coming in through the doors to the balcony he could tell she was crying. He got up quickly and moved over to her bed, sitting down next to her and trying to calm her down.

He didn't want to scare her by waking her up but nothing he was doing was working. He sighed and moved himself so he was fully sitting on the bed with Maddie propped up against his chest. He continued to wipe the tears as they fell and he talked to her quietly, re assuring her that he was right here and nothing was going to happen to her. Finally she seemed to calm down a little and he leaned back a bit, but continued to gently run his fingers through her hair, hoping she would be able to go back to sleep, he was slowly drifting off himself.

The last thing he remembered before he fell asleep was Maddie wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and he slowly let himself drape his arms around her as well. He leaned down kissing her forehead gently; his lips lingered on her soft skin a little longer than he was expecting but he was tired so he brushed it off, gave her another quick kiss on the head and fell asleep.

**Alright so like I said the next chapter should be up by the end of the week at the latest. please send in your reviews, you know I love hearing what you all think!**

**OH! and, in case you didn't know, today Matt Bomer turns 33! (today being the 11th depending on when you read this) so HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT BOMER! 33**

**keep reviewing, till next time! :)**

**~Tara~**


	11. Chapter 11

**Alright so here we go, chapter 11. Enjoy!**

Neal was the first to wake up the next day. There was a faint light coming in through the skylight above him and he winced at the slight pain in caused in his head. He could feel the headache coming on already from the lack of sleep, and last night came back to him slowly. He'd been sleeping fine till around one in the morning when Maddie's nightmare had woke him up, she finally calmed down around three and he was able to get a little bit of sleep. The clock on the wall told him it was a little after six, Peter would be downstairs waiting to take him to work by seven. He glanced at the phone on the table next to him and then at Maddie who was still sleeping peacefully with her arms wrapped around Neal's waist.

He could just call in sick today, he brushed the thought away though, they were too close to closing this case, he had to at least go today and if things went well and they finished the case up then maybe he'd talk to Peter and see if he could spare him a day. He knew Maddie had to be exhausted and he didn't quite feel like waking her yet. He looked back at the clock and decided he could spare another ten or fifteen minutes, he'd just get ready a little faster than normal today.

He looked down at Maddie and smiled lightly; compared to last night she was already looking much better. He was truly worried about her, a few hours ago she was pale and shaking, a thin layer of sweat made her hair stick to her face and she was crying. He knew what she was dreaming about, getting kidnapped and held against your will was sadly something he could relate to so he understood the toll it was taking on Maddie. Instinctively he wrapped his arms a little tighter around her waist. Really it was his fault she was like this; if he'd just paid closer attention she would have never been kidnapped in the first place. He sighed and gently let his fingers run through her hair as he watched her sleep, her breathing peaceful and even.

He sat with her for a few more minutes before he decided he really should get ready to go. He slowly slipped himself out of her embrace but leaned down and planted a sweet kiss on her forehead, smiling to himself as he walked into the bathroom to prepare for work.

He did have to move a lot quicker this morning but he was okay with that. He was dressed and ready by six forty-five giving him just enough time to write Maddie a quick note and then quietly slip out of his apartment.

He was right Peter was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs with coffee and some kind of pastry.

"Morning." He said, smiling at his partner. Neal nodded and offered a good morning back but slipped into the living room quickly where he knew June would be.

June was sitting on the sofa sipping her own coffee and reading a book quietly. Neal walked up behind her, planting a quick kiss on her cheek letting her know he was there.

"Good morning Neal." She said, without looking to see who it was.

"Morning June." He replied, coming to stand next to the sofa.

"I have a favor to ask." He said, June sat her book down and turned to face him.

"Maddie had kind of a rough night; she had a pretty bad nightmare about David and the whole kidnapping fiasco. I stayed up with her till around three, she finally quieted down. I am okay, and I have to get to work anyway but I was wondering." June held up a hand to silence him.

"I'll check on her in a few hours dear, don't worry." She said smiling. Neal leaned down to give her a quick hug.

"Thanks June. I'll see you tonight." He said as he left the room, moving back into the entryway where Peter waited for him.

"What was that?" He asked, handing Neal his coffee.

"Nothing." He said, flashing the signature Caffrey grin. Peter shook his head and they both walked to the car.

The bright sunlight shining through the skylight woke Maddie up a few hours later. She sighed and stretched, rubbing her eyes, removing the remnants of sleep. It took her a few seconds to realize she was listening to the sound of water running. She looked at the clock on the wall in Neal's bedroom and saw it read ten thirty; Neal had to already be at work. She turned to the side to find June in the kitchen cleaning a few dishes.

"June?" she asked, thinking maybe she was hallucinating from lack of sleep.

"Morning Maddie." June said, turning the water off and drying her hands.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, coming to sit down on Maddie's bed.

"Alright I guess, my head's killing me though." She admitted. June nodded.

"There's breakfast waiting for you on the table and Neal says you know where everything is if you need something." She said.

"How come you're up here?" Maddie asked, moving to sit up a little.

"Neal told me you had a pretty long night; he asked if I would come up and check on you." June told her, offering a sweet smile. Maddie sighed.

"Yeah it was a pretty long night. How's Neal?" She asked, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that Neal sat through it all with her.

"He's okay, a little tired but you know how much energy that man has." June said, making them both laugh.

"He's at work with Peter, he says to tell you hello." She said, patting Maddie's leg and moving to straighten things up in Neal's room.

"He left you that note." June said, pointing to the folded flower on the table next to Maddie. She smiled and picked it up unfolding it carefully.

_Maddie, _

_Good morning, or afternoon, depending on when you're reading this. I hope you're feeling okay, I asked June to come check on you, she's probably trying to tidy things up, tell her not to, I'll clean up when I get home._

Maddie laughed and looked at June who was picking up a few pieces of sketch paper that Neal had left lay on the floor next to his bed.

"June, Neal says-" June cut her off.

"I know what he says and I am still going to tidy up anyway." She said continuing with what she was doing. Maddie smiled and continued reading.

_Anyway, I don't know what your plans are for today but try and get some rest. I'll be home around five and maybe we can talk. _

_XOXO_

_Neal_

Maddie sighed, she had a feeling he'd want to talk, she wasn't sure if she was up to talking though.

She pulled herself out of bed and walked into the kitchen, sitting down to eat the breakfast June had made for her. She headed to the bathroom next to freshen up, take something to kill the headache she had, and change into something comfortable since she didn't plan on going anywhere today.

Once she was back out in the main room she helped June fix the furniture because Maddie insisted she wasn't going to lie around all day.

"Why don't you come downstairs, spend the day with me instead of up here all alone." June offered. Maddie smiled.

"That sounds great." She said and the two ladies left the empty apartment to head downstairs.

Maddie went into the living room while June headed into the kitchen telling Maddie she'd be in soon. She sat down in one of the plush sofas in the living room, closing her eyes and remembering the horrible nightmare she'd had. It wasn't even the fact that she had been kidnapped again in her dream. It was the fact that she could hear Neal calling for her but he couldn't get to her. And when he finally did David was there taking Neal away from her. She'd felt alone and scared but mostly she felt stupid. She was stronger than this. She hadn't been injured badly at least not physically, she shouldn't let something like this bother her this much but it did. Something about her brain, every time she relived that moment, told her, what if they'd never found you, or what if something happened to them when they did. And that was what was causing her so much grief.

In the end she and June spent a wonderful day together, chatting about the wonderful times June had had with her husband and Maddie listened intently at the tale of mystery and romance that June spun for her. They laughed over a late lunch and by four o'clock they were back in the living room, each with a glass of wine, talking about recent occurrences.

"Can I ask you something?" Maddie said, ending the slight lull in conversation.

"Sure." June said with a smile.  
"It's about Neal. Mozzie said that it had been a while since he's really had any women in his life, with Kate and all." She explained, June nodded, fully aware of the subject.

"But Mozzie said that maybe Neal feels something more for me than just friendship." Maddie added.

"Would that be so bad?" June asked with a laugh.

"No, no it's not that." Maddie said, laughing as well and shaking her head.

"It's just, I don't wanna be just someone to fill the Kate void, you know?" She said.

"I understand." June said.

"Neal is a really great friend and I am lucky to have him, I don't wanna ruin that with a relationship that might end up falling through." Maddie added.

"I think Neal needs some time to figure it out on his own. If he decides to let himself take a chance with you then maybe it's really what's best for him, to try and move on." June said.

"I don't think you ever have to worry about losing his friendship though, Neal isn't that kind of person." She finished. Maddie nodded, trying to come to terms with the subject.

"I guess we'll just see what happens." She said, June nodded and each took a sip of their wine.

Neal found them that way a half hour later, both ladies seated on the sofa in June's lush living room, sharing stories and laughing.

"Evening ladies." He said, moving smoothly up to the both of them. Maddie flashed a bright smile and June opened her arms for Neal's warm hug he offered. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as well and then sat down next to Maddie, wrapping an arm around her instantly and pulling her in close.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"Better actually, June and I had a great day together." Maddie said, smiling at the classy lady next to her. June smiled and took her hand.

"She's doing fine Neal, if you'd like to take her back upstairs that's fine." She said. Neal smiled at June and stood up with Maddie.

"Thank you for looking after her June." He said

"It was no problem." She said,

"I also took the liberty of cleaning up a little." She added. Neal laughed.

"I knew you would, thank you." He said, giving her a quick wink and the famous Caffrey smile.

"You're welcome, goodnight you two." She said, waving them off in the direction of the stairs. Both smiled and said goodnight, then headed up the stairs for Neal's apartment.

He opened the door and let Maddie in, closing the door as he followed. He flipped on the light and followed Maddie into the living room where they both sat down on the sofa.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked simply.

"Not really." Maddie answered, avoiding his gaze. He let out a short laugh.

"Okay, I should have said let's talk about it." Maddie sighed.

"There's nothing to say Neal, it was a nightmare, and I'll be fine." She said, trying to get him to forget about it.

"You weren't so fine last night. Maddie you were up for almost four hours shaking, sweating and crying. That doesn't seem okay to me." He said.

"It was about David wasn't it?" He asked, trying to get her to say something. She didn't answer, just nodded.

"What about?" He questioned.

"The whole thing okay, just reliving it in my head." She said quickly.

"Just tell me about it Maddie, it helps to talk." He said, taking her hands in his.

"You don't talk about yours." She said quickly. She felt him stiffen, she shouldn't have said that.

"I am sorry." She said quietly. Neal shook his head.

"No, you're right, I don't talk about them. So here's the deal, you tell me yours and I'll tell you mine okay?" He said, staring at her with determination in his eyes. She knew she wasn't getting out of this so she nodded, agreeing to his terms.

"It starts out normal, just you and me and Peter walking along some street in the city, but then I get pulled away from you and everything goes dark. It get's hard to breath and I can hear you calling for me but we can't get to each other. When you finally find me David's there and he takes you away from me and I am left alone again." She explains quietly.

"Does he hurt you?" Neal asks, she shakes her head.

"Anyone?" He questions. She said Peter was in her dream, maybe that was what made her so upset, that David hurt her family in this dream. She takes a few seconds to answer and when she does she doesn't look him in the eyes.

"You." She says simply. He's not sure what to say to that.

"No one hurt me Maddie." He assures her.  
"Not in real life no, I know that. But in my dream it happens." She explains. She shakes her head, trying to rid herself of the image she knows will be there for a while.

"Your turn." She said, moving the focus off of herself. Neal sighs.

"There's nothing I can tell you that you don't already know. It's just the same moment over and over again in my head. Peter and I at the hanger, Kate waves at me from the plane, I turn to tell Peter something, Plane blows up." He said it like it's so simple but Maddie knows it upsets him. She nods.

"I am sorry." She's not sure why she says it but it feels right. Neal sighs again and pulls Maddie in close, letting her rest her head on his chest.

"Were pretty messed up aren't we?" He asks with a laugh. Maddie smiles, listening to his laugh echo against his chest.

"We just have issues." She says, smiling up at him. He smiles back down at her and gently plants a kiss on her temple. His lips linger longer than they should for a friendly kiss and they both know it but neither says anything.

**Okay so this one is a bit short, sorry about that, but that just means the next chapter will be posted quicker, keep an eye out for it soon, probably the beginning of next week sometime. **

**Also, on a quick side note, I just wanted to point out that I am pretty sure the sofa in Neal's house probably dosn't open up into a 'sofa bed' however it worked for my story and since it's fiction I am hoping we can just pretend it does! lol. I took a few small liberties with this story and this is one of them. :) **

**Thanks for reading, remember to send in those reviews, it really helps me to keep truckin along with this fic, I want to make it the best it can be and I can only do that if you all review and let me know what you're thinking! so get those reviews in and I'll talk to you all soon!**

**~Tara~**


	12. Chapter 12

**Alright so this is a very short one I know, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

They sit in the quiet for a few good hours, light conversation interrupting every now and then. Neal keeps Maddie close to him, his arms wrapped lightly around her waist and she really doesn't mind. There forced to move from there comfortable position around eight o'clock when Mozzie knocks on the door with supper.

"So how was everyone's day?" Mozzie asked after the three were finished eating. Neal and Maddie hadn't talked much and he was trying desperately to get someone to say something.

"Alright." Maddie said, sipping the last bit of her wine. Mozzie sighed.

"Neal please tell me you have something more than alright." He said.

"We closed our case." He offered with a smile. Mozzie nodded.

"Inside job?" He asked. Neal nodded.

"No surprise." Neal told him.

The two continued to talk about the case, Maddie somewhat listened to what they were saying but eventually she stopped paying attention.

"Right?" Neal asked, looking at Maddie, jolting her out of her thoughts.

"I am sorry what?"

Neal gave her a strange look, knowing something was wrong. Mozzie simply brushed it off and turned back to Neal.

"I am sorry guys; I guess I am just a little tired." She said. Neal sighed and glanced at the clock.

"I am gonna step out for a little. Mozzie, stay here." He said, not taking any argument. Neal walked to the door, grabbed his jacket and left.

"You alright?" Mozzie asked, Maddie shook her head.

"It was just a long night." She said, standing to clean up dinner. Mozzie nodded and stood, helping her.

"Wanna talk about it?" He asked politely.

"I've been talking and thinking about it all day. I am not exactly in the mood Moz." She said. He nodded, understanding and silently helped Maddie clean up.

There wasn't much conversation between the two after, Mozzie sat quietly with a book in the living room and Maddie had taken her sketch pad into the kitchen.

Neal was home right on time and Mozzie said goodnight to everyone and then quickly left, sensing the tension in the room. Maddie continued to draw as Neal changed out of his suit into a dark blue pair of sweat pants, then he came back in the kitchen, sitting down across from Maddie. She glanced up at him quickly then turned her eyes back to her paper.

"You'll get sick if you walk around here without a shirt on, it's too cold." She informed him, he smiled and laughed.

"I'll be fine." He said, and then quickly grew serious.

"I mean unless you want me to put a shirt on, I don't want you to be uncomfortable." He said. Maddie glanced at him again, taking in his figure and toned chest. She took a quick, deep breath.

"Nope, I am fine." She said, looking back down to her drawing. Neal smirked and then tapped his fingers on her sketch book.

"Can I see?" he asked, she sighed but nodded and handed over the book. She wasn't really drawing anything in particular, just images, but she knew Neal would find other meanings in them.

"Is this really what you see?" He asked, handing the book back to her, his finger pointing at the dark scene she'd drawn.

"Look, drawing helps me get my feelings out, so I thought if I'd draw the dream maybe it wouldn't seem so bad." She said, looking back down at the paper and taking in what was there.

It was clear that Maddie, Neal, Peter and David were all in the drawing. She'd drawn herself alone in one of the crates tied to a chair. Neal was backed against the crate fending off blows from David who had his fist raised at Neal, and Peter was standing outside the building helpless to get in.

"You think you'll sleep alright tonight?" He asked, shutting the book for her so she wouldn't look anymore. She shrugged.

"Maybe." She said quietly. He could see the struggle in her eyes and he wished there was something he could do to help her but he didn't know what.

"Come on, let's get to bed." He said, reaching a hand across the table. They stood and moved into the small living room silently. Neal fixed the bed while Maddie changed. She emerged from the bathroom to find Neal waiting for her, sitting on the edge of her bed. She sighed and walked over to join him.

"I'll be okay Neal." She said quietly. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close and she welcomed the embrace, knowing that feeling Neal here with her, very much alive and healthy was something she needed. She wrapped her own arms around his waist and closed her eyes, relaxing against his chest. He brought a hand up to cup her face a few seconds later and she leaned back to look at him.

"You'll call for me if you need anything." He said, not giving her much of a choice, she nodded.

"Goodnight Maddie." He said, leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek and then move to his own bed, turning off the light in the process.

"Night Neal." She said to the darkness, laying down in her own bed and falling asleep.

**Like I said, I know it's short but trust me, I split um up for good reasons. since this one was so small I'll probably post the next chapter in a day or two so keep your eye out. untill then send in those reviews! thanks everyone!**

**~Tara~**


	13. Chapter 13

**Alright everyone! you're in for a nice big treat, we'll call it an early Halloween gift, this chapter's a killer! lot's of drama and angst and...oh well just read, you'll find out. Enjoy!**

For the most part it was a calm night. Maddie had a few restless spells and she woke up once around four but after getting a glass of water and checking to make sure Neal was okay she went back to bed and fell asleep rather fast.

The sun filtering in through the skylight woke her up the next morning; she groaned and turned to bury her face in her pillow, trying to avoid the light. After a few minutes of just laying awake she knew she had to get up. She rolled back over and rubbed her eyes, then ran a hand through her hair as she looked at the clock, already past ten. She sighed and then noticed the lump that was still in Neal's bed. She cursed and walked over quickly, shaking him awake.

"Neal come on, it's past ten already Peter's gonna kill you." She said. Neal mumbled something and swatted at her hand.

"Neal get up you have to get to work." She tried again.

"No work today." He said, without opening his eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Peter gave me the day off, go back to sleep." He said, rolling back over. Maddie sighed and fell down next to him. She shook her head, if Neal had told her this before she probably would have slept in longer. She closed her eyes and before she knew it the quiet sound of Neal's breathing lulled her off to sleep.

She woke up a few hours later to an empty bed. The clock on the wall now told her it was around twelve thirty. She didn't hear movement in the rest of the house and she couldn't see Neal anywhere. She stood up and stretched then made her way out into the kitchen, she noticed the doors to the balcony were open, telling her exactly where Neal was. He stood at the edge of the balcony, leaning against the large stonework that fenced in the balcony. He looked distressed but she couldn't tell why. He also looked cold. He'd at least used common sense and slipped a shirt on but other than that he was taking the brunt of the elements. She shook her head and walked back into his room, pulling the heavy comforter off the bed and taking it out onto the balcony with her. She walked up to him silently and wrapped the heavy blanket around his shoulders as well as her own, shielding herself from the cold too.

"Are you looking to get sick?" She asked staring up at him. He shook his head simply and smiled.

"Neal it's probably thirty degrees out here, it's early December and all your wearing is a light pair of pants and a t-shirt?" She glanced down at his feet and realized he was wearing socks too, which she should be grateful for.  
"Good morning to you too." He said, a bit of amusement in his voice.

"Good morning. Now let's go inside." She said. He took one last look up at the sky and then turned, keeping the comforter pulled snug against the two of them, and returned to the warmth of the apartment, closing and locking the balcony doors behind him.

"Thank you." He said with a quick kiss on her cheek as he removed the comforter from them and headed back to his bedroom to change.

Maddie smiled and started on making them something to eat. It was far past breakfast but she didn't think he'd mind so she pulled a few eggs from his refrigerator and started on omelets.

Neal joined her in the kitchen after a few minutes, dressed simply in a long sleeved blue button down shirt and a pair of jeans, different attire than what Maddie was used to seeing him in. He glanced at what she was making and smiled.

"I'll finish up, you can go change." He said, taking her place at the stove and shooing her off.

Maddie emerged from the bathroom a while later dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a maroon colored blouse. Neal gave her a questioning look as he handed her breakfast.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"You may not have anything to do today, but I have a meeting with the realtor about the house I'll be renting." She said, biting into the omelet. Neal nodded.

"When do you start signing papers and stuff?" He asked, eating at his own breakfast. Maddie shrugged.

"There are a few other offers on the house but there not that great so I have to wait until I hear what the other people are gonna do and then I can start signing contracts and all that." She told him.

"So a few weeks?" He said.

"Could be a few weeks, I am not sure." She said.

"Well you're welcome to stay here as long as you want." He informed her. She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you." He smiled back and shrugged.

"I don't mind. The company's wonderful and besides we get along quiet well." He said.

They spent the rest of the morning chatting on and off. Peter had given Neal a few case files to look over so he busied himself with that while Maddie sat working on an art project for a while.

Around three she started putting her things away and freshening up.

"I am not sure how long the meeting's gonna be." She told Neal as she picked her purse up and slung it over her shoulder.

"I'll be here." He said with a smile.

"I'll see ya soon." She called on her way out.

"Have fun!" He called back, knowing that meeting with someone to talk about a house couldn't be much fun. He heard her laugh and he smiled, knowing she understood.

Neal spent the rest of the afternoon on his own reading into case files and doing some research. Maddie's meeting lasted longer than expected. She left around three but never got back till after six. She walked through the door frustrated, tossing her purse on the floor and flopping down on the sofa taking a deep breath. Neal looked up from where he sat reclining on his bed.

"Bad meeting?" he asked, moving off his bed to come sit next to her. She sat up, taking her coat off and letting him sit down next to her.

"It's just a lot of work, and I am not even buying the house I am just renting." She said, leaning her head against Neal's shoulder.

"What went wrong?" he questioned.

"Nothing wrong per-say, just a lot more fuss than I thought there was gonna be." She told him, he nodded.

"I wish I could help you but I've never actually paid to live anywhere." He said, Maddie laughed and smiled up at him.

"Now why does that not surprise me?" She asked.

"I pay now though." He informed her.

"Seven hundred a month." He added. Maddie nodded.

"I am sure you could charm the price down if you needed to." She said. Neal laughed.

"I could probably just charm my way into living here for free, but that wouldn't be fair would it?" He asked, glancing down at Maddie who was still laughing. She shook her head and stood up.

"What do you want for dinner?" she asked, moving into the kitchen. He smiled and got up, walking to the kitchen to help her make dinner.

Maddie asked about the case files as they ate and Neal filled her in on what he'd found so far. She caught on to the slight shakes in his hands as he ate, she'd noticed it earlier this morning too but she didn't think much of it. Now when it was right in front of her and she wasn't distracted by anything else though she took quick notice to it. A rush of worry flooded her, she hadn't seen Neal shake in a few good weeks, she really thought he was making progress but here they were again, and he'd seemed distracted all day. She didn't ask about it though, it was something he'd need to deal with on his own.

He helped her clean up dinner and then he stood at the balcony doors, looking out at the dark city.

Maddie had picked the case files up off his bed and moved to sit with them on the sofa for a while. She watched the time, knowing that when it got to around nine o'clock and he was stressed with nothing to do that he'd leave to go visit Kate. And she was right, a little after nine he changed into a heavy sweater and grabbed his jacket off the chair he left it on last night and said a quick goodbye to her. She didn't really think anything of it, knowing it was just something he had to do, so she quickly let the thought go and got back to reading about the latest art theft in the white collar world.

She didn't really start to notice something was wrong until a half hour had passed and he hadn't come home yet. Usually he was only out for a half hour and he came right back. She let it slide though, knowing how distraught he'd been today, maybe he simply needed more time.

She started to worry though when she heard the light rain on the skylight above her and there was still no sign of Neal. She sighed, trying to shake the feeling of dread off and hope that he'd be home in a few seconds. A few seconds came and went and so did another half hour and the rain got heavier. She was pacing now, not knowing what to do. He'd left his phone on the table in the kitchen so she couldn't even call him. She contemplated calling Peter a few dozen times, and asking him to pull up Neal's tracking detail, just so she could be sure he was inside his radius. She finally buckled under the pressure when she saw a bolt of lightning streak across the sky.

She picked up her cell phone and dialed Peter's number as fast as she could.

"Hello?" Elizabeth picked up.

"Hey El, its Maddie, is Peter there?" She asked, knowing he probably was, it was past eleven.

"Sure hun, he's here. Everything okay, you sound upset." She asked.

"It's just Neal; I really need to talk to Peter." Maddie said. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to Elizabeth it was just that she really needed to talk to Peter.

"Okay, here he is." Elizabeth said

"Hey Maddie what's up?" Peter said.

"Can you tell me where Neal is?" She asked; worry completely taking over her voice.

"Yeah sure. Why what's wrong?" Peter asked.

"He left two hours ago to visit Kate but he hasn't come back yet. Usually he's home in a half hour." She said.

"He's out there in this?" Peter said, she could hear him working on his computer in the background.

"I know, that's why I need to know where he is." Maddie said, praying that he'd still be at the graveyard.

"Well I haven't gotten any calls so he hasn't left his radius, so don't worry about that." He told her, trying to offer some sense of calm.

"He's still there Maddie." Peter said finally. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and thanked god that he wasn't somewhere he shouldn't be.

"I am gonna go get him." She informed Peter.

"Should I meet you there?" he asked. Maddie thought for a few seconds, trying to decide.

"No, I think I'll be okay. I'll call you if I need you though." She told him.

"Alright, just be careful okay." He told her.

"I will, thank you Peter." She said.

"No problem."

She flipped her phone shut and moved quickly about the apartment. Slipping on a pair of shoes, digging around in one of her bags for an umbrella, then grabbing her coat and leaving the apartment. She stopped in the living room on the way down, knowing June would be up.

"Can you do me a favor?" She asked. June turned to look at her, taking in her worried appearance.

"Sure sweetie what's wrong?" She asked.

"Neal's been out with Kate for two hours in the rain." She informed her. June nodded.

"I know just what to do. Come see me when you get back." She said, moving past Maddie into the kitchen.

She took a deep breath and stepped out the front doors, opening the umbrella to shield her from the rain.

The graveyard was only a few blocks away; she'd passed it once on her way back from the city so she knew where she was going. It was a small piece of land but it was easy to find. She slipped through the gate and took a deep sigh of relief when she saw him. He was kneeling on the ground, hands on his knees, his face down. She rushed over to him, kneeling down next to him, moving the umbrella over both of them. She could see him shaking but she wasn't sure if it was out of heartbreak over Kate or just how cold it was. He hadn't even noticed she was there yet.

"Neal." She said, over the noise of the rain she had to raise her voice just a little.

"Neal come on, look at me." She said, he didn't move, just stayed staring at the ground.

"Neal what is wrong with you, your soaked, probably already sick, what is the point of all this?" She asked, her voice rising louder than what it needed to be. He still didn't answer her.

"Neal." She said again, grasping his arm with her hand and shaking him. When he still wouldn't answer she sighed and turned her gaze in the direction he was looking, only then did she realize what this was all about.

The small gravestone that showed where Kate was, still shone in the moonlight, there was a single rose lying next to it which she knew Neal had placed there. And under her name and the date of her birth read today's date, one year ago.  
Both were silent for a while and Maddie let a few tears mix in with the rain drops that ran down her face.

"I am sorry Neal." She said; quiet enough for him to still hear her. She discarded the umbrella, not really caring since she was already completely drenched, and wrapped her arms around Neal tightly. He still didn't move and she was seriously starting to get worried about him.

"Neal look at me." She said, moving back from him. He still wouldn't, now she was just frustrated.

"Neal I am serious." She shouted, finally he moved his gaze from the ground to her eyes.

"Neal, I am sorry about Kate, and I am sorry you feel like it was your fault, because it wasn't, but that doesn't mean you can sit out here freezing to death." She said. He looked at her and then turned his gaze away, mumbling something.

"What?" She asked. He shook his head, not wanting to say it again.

"What did you say?" she asked sternly.

"It was my fault, I should be dead now not her." He shouted at her, Maddie's eyes grew wide and she took a few seconds to respond.

"You think dying is going to solve all of this?" She asked, letting a bit of venom slip into her voice.

"Just leave me alone." He said, turning away from her again.  
"I am not leaving you out here to die Neal, so if you die, so do I." She said stubbornly. He didn't look at her but he clenched his hands into fists and stood up walking a few paces away from her. She stood up slowly, watching as he stopped and clenched his hands again.

"Neal-" She started,

"Just let me die!" He yelled, turning around and cutting off what she was trying to say.

She really couldn't believe this.  
"No!" She yelled right back. His face contorted into anger.

"Why should I let you die, you think no one cares about you?" She asked, her voice still filled with anger.

"Is that what you think?" She shouted, making him understand she wanted an answer, which he wouldn't give.

"You don't think Peter cares about you, or El, or Mozzie or June?" she asked, slowly walking towards him. He shook his head and looked away.

"She shouldn't be dead." He said quietly.

"But she is, there's nothing you can do about it now, dying certainly isn't going to solve anything." She told him

"Kate wouldn't want you dead; she'd want you trying to find out who killed her so you can bring her justice." She added.

"No one would care if I died, I am just another criminal." He said, his voice getting louder.

"No one would care?" She asked.  
"Not anyone, what about Mozzie, he's your best friend, and so is Peter." She said, taking another few steps towards him.

"What about me, you don't think I care about you?" She asked. He shook his head.

"You can seriously stand here right now and tell me that I don't care about you?" She pressed.

"You wouldn't care." He said quietly, she caught it though and anger flew through her.

"What is wrong with you Neal! I just spent two hours being worried sick about you. I came here in the cold and the pouring rain, because I give a damn about you and now you have the balls to stand there and tell me I don't care?" She yelled. He didn't say anything but she pressed on.

"I was the one who sat with you through nightmares about Kate, who you opened up to, and I don't care?" She continued moving closer to him, stopping only when her face was inches from his.

"You can say whatever you want about the others, but don't you ever say I don't care about you. I care about you more than anyone I've ever known, so don't you dare tell me I don't." She said harshly.

It took her a few seconds to register what he was doing and before she even really knew he had his lips pressed against hers, his hand at the back of her neck holding her still against him. He moved back in seconds, the both of them breathing heavier than normal simply because of the amount of anger they both had.

She looked up into his eyes and for the first time since she found him he looked back at her. She noticed the tears falling from his eyes and she gently reached a hand up to brush them away, the rain replacing them quickly.

"I am sorry Neal." She said quietly. He looked deep into her eyes and moved his hand back up behind her neck, pulling her in close to him. His other hand reached up to brush her own tears away; she hadn't even known she was crying. He looked back up at her and leaned in slowly, pressing his lips against hers gently this time. He forgot about Kate, and how cold he was and that his clothes were soaked, and Maddie did the same, pressing closer to him and moving her hands up to tangle in the hair at the base of his neck. She pulled away a few seconds later and he was worried he'd done something wrong but she kept her face close to his.

"We need to get home." She said simply, and he had to agree.

They silently moved out of the graveyard, Maddie putting the umbrella above them, not that it did much good since both of them were already completely soaked. He kept his arm wrapped around her, and she leaned against him, mostly for physical support because she was so tired.

They arrived back at Junes a few minutes later and they walked in the front door quietly. June joined them at the bottom of the stairs, a stack of clothes in her hands.

"Go change then get right back down here." She ordered them. Neither thought twice about it, just accepted the warm, dry clothes and walked up stairs to change. They did so in record time and then walked back downstairs to join June in the living room.

"Now, I am not going to ask you to tell me what all this was about." She said, handing both of them warm cups of tea.

"But I am going to tell you, mostly you." She said, glaring at Neal.

"That you had everyone worried sick, and now you very well might be sick." She added, taking in the slight sniffle Neal came home with.

"I understand you miss Kate, Neal, I really do. But that's no excuse for you to ruin your life." She said, looking him in the eye.

"Don't ever pull something like this again." She warned him, he nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment. June sighed.

"Well, I am going to bed, enough excitement for one night. I trust you two can get yourselves to bed alright." She said, standing to leave the room.

"Goodnight." She called, and they listened to her leave.

**phew, I told ya it was a killer! So I hope I kept Neal at least a little in character for this one. It was difficult for me because we never really see him morn over Kate, he just instantly moved on. However I think 'Point Blank' was an excellent demonstration of how far he's willing to go to get justice for her. I know the whole 'let me die' thing might be a little extreme but I really just wanted to show how broken up he was over it all, I personally think that Neal blames himself a little for what happened to Kate and I could see him feeling guilty and maybe feeling depressed about it and going to extremes. So was it a little over the top, yeah maybe, but I think it got the point across that he really is upset about it all. **

**And we finally have a little Neal/Maddie romance! I had to do the whole super romantic kissing in the rain thing, it just felt right for these two, especially since they can both have a bit of a temper every now and then. So I promise you'll be getting little bits of romance sprinkled throught the chapters from here on out, nothing to big yet but I have plans for these two ;) **

**So, since this was a crazy long chapter and I am still working on fixing stuff up for the chapters to come, I am not quiet sure when it'll be out but I can promise you sometime in the next week. So send in those reviews, please let me know what you think! Thank you!**

**~Tara~**


	14. Chapter 14

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! so here is the next chapter, not to long I know but it's just kind of a resolution of the last chapter, so please go and enjoy!**

They were quiet for at least five minutes, both finishing off their drinks in silence, neither knowing what to say.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Maddie finally asked, keeping her gaze directed at the floor. Neal shrugged.

"I just didn't." He said.

"Does anyone else know?" She questioned, he shook his head.

"I don't think they remember." He told her.

"I am sorry." He said after a few seconds. Maddie didn't answer.

"I am sorry I worried you and put you through all that." He added. She sighed.

"I just wish you would have handled it differently." She admitted, he nodded; understanding what she meant.

The conversation fell away after that and both of them sat still in the living room. Finally the grandfather clock that sat in the corner rang, only once and Maddie let out a forced laugh at the time.

"We should get to bed." She said, standing up slowly.

Neal reached out, taking her empty cup, glancing at her so she knew he'd handle it and then be right up. She nodded quietly and followed him out to the stairs where she turned, moving up to his apartment.

She pulled out her bed slowly and sat down on the edge of it, waiting for Neal to come up before she turned out any lights.

He opened and closed the door quietly behind him, glancing at Maddie and taking a seat next to her on her bed. He sighed and took her hands in his.

"I really am sorry Maddie. I shouldn't have acted like that and your right, a lot of people do care about me, I shouldn't have thought otherwise." He admitted. Maddie nodded silently, not saying anything else.

"I am sorry if you're upset with me." He said quietly, and she could hear the hurt in his voice. She shook her head.

"I am not mad at you." She told him.

"I am just, confused." She finished.

"Is there something you want me to explain?" he asked. She could tell he was doing a lot to make sure she wasn't upset.

"No, Neal it's fine." She told him, trying to brush it off. It was late and she really didn't want to get into anything right now. He was quiet for another few seconds.

"Okay." He said finally, he moved to stand up but Maddie held his hand a little tighter, making him turn around to face her.

"You kissed me." She said simply, avoiding his piercing blue gaze. A small smirk flashed across his face, the first he'd given in hours. He slowly sat back down next to Maddie.

"Your right I did." He agreed. She nodded slowly, clearly trying to take it all in.

"Did you mean it?" She questioned. His small smile faltered and he was forced to think quickly.

He was left with two options, option one; he could simply charm the heck out of her and possibly end up with a girlfriend, or at least a much closer friend. Or option two; he could just tell her the truth and hear what she had to say. As much as he favored option one, simply because it was easiest and would take the least amount of work, he went with option two.

"My romantic life is pretty messed up right now Maddie, in case you couldn't tell." He said, forcing a small laugh and he caught her smiling out of the corner of his eye.

"I am not going to lie to you and say that I don't find you attractive because I do. But I also don't want to push you into anything you don't want, and I don't want you to feel like someone I am just using to get back on my feet because that wouldn't be true. I care about you a lot." He said, she couldn't help but scoff at his final statement, remembering just a little while ago, him telling her he didn't care and just wanted to die. And he knew it was hypocritical what he'd said but it was the truth.

"I'll do whatever you wanna do." He told her. She sat quiet for a few minutes, taking everything in and running through possible outcomes in her mind. In the end she figured really what was the harm in a relationship with Neal. If it didn't last, then it didn't last, but right now, maybe companionship was something they both needed. Neal was still troubled by Kate and Maddie was still plagued with nightmares about being alone and kidnapped so maybe a closer relationship would help them through it.

Finally she looked up into Neal's eyes, mentally thanking herself for not looking into them earlier because she probably would have just done whatever he'd asked and not even thought about it. She slowly took her hand out of his and placed it on his cheek, letting it move down and behind his neck as she slowly pulled him closer to her. She stopped when he was inches from her face, checking herself to make sure she was really okay with this, and only when she realized she was did she let herself press her lips gently to his. He responded slowly, careful not to push too much on her at one time. Eventually they moved back to breath and she knew there was a smile on his face, mostly because there was a matching one on her own.

"Okay?" She whispered, she felt stupid for asking but it was better than not knowing. He nodded.

"Okay." And leaned back in for another kiss.

"Now get to bed." He said, making her laugh for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Goodnight Neal." She said, as he turned out the lights.

"Night." He called.

She wrapped the warm blankets around her and closed her eyes, a million thoughts running through her head, but the one she heard the most; maybe this is all for the better.

**So since this is a bit short the next chapter should be up within the next few days. **

**I hope everyone has a happy Halloween, have fun and dress up! I am going to be Sara Ellis all day tomorrow, woo! So enjoy the day!**

**Also in case anyone is intrested I posted a new video over on my Youtube Channel which will give you all a little insight into part 1 (up to chapter 7) of Companionship. It'll give you kind of a behind the scenes look at what I went through while I was writing and what my insperation was for some of it, so go check it out if you can (I know it is a little long, sorry.) But let me know what you think! **

**Also please keep reviewing for this, you know I love hearing from you all, it means alot so even if it's just a quick review it makes my day to know my story is enjoyed and to get that feedback. So keep sending in reviews. have a sopoky Halloween everyone!**

**~Tara~**


	15. Chapter 15

**Another smaller chapter I know, but trust me, I split them up appropriately. Enjoy!**

Maddie woke up slowly the next morning. The light filtering in from outside had woke her up early but she was still too tired and achy to fully wake up yet so she rolled back over and buried her face in the pillows, falling back asleep. Eventually she woke back up though and this time she didn't bother trying to fall back asleep. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head, letting the sun make her more alert. The room seemed warmer than before. She glanced over to find Neal had a small fire burning in the white brick fireplace that sat off the kitchen. He sat in front of it quietly, obviously invested in whatever he was doing.

She got out of bed quietly, her bare feet hitting the chilly wooden floor softly as she walked over to where Neal sat. She placed her hands on his shoulders, not surprised at all when he didn't tense or turn around quickly, he probably knew she was awake from the moment she opened her eyes; that was just how he was. Glancing over his shoulder she saw he was drawing a picture of a lovely women whose eyes Maddie could only classify as deep and mysterious.

"Is that Kate?" She asked quietly, knowing full well that it was. He nodded and stopped his work.

"She's beautiful." Maddie said; and really it was the truth. She'd seen Neal draw before so she knew he was extremely talented at it, the picture he'd drawn of Kate was probably perfect in every way. Neal didn't answer so Maddie quickly decided to change the subject.

"What time is it?" She asked, she hadn't checked when she woke up.

"Little after seven." He said, closing the sketch book back up.

"Breakfast?" She asked.

"Um, no, actually Peter called, while you were asleep. He said El wants us both over for breakfast around seven thirty. I was just about to come get you up actually." He said, standing and tucking the sketchbook away on the mantle of the fireplace.

"Okay, I'll go get ready then." She said; realizing that Neal was already dressed in a simple two piece suit with a pale blue shirt underneath.

Maddie pulled out a simple pair of jeans and a nice top, slipped on her knee high brown boots and then quickly did her hair and a bit of makeup.

"Let's go." She said, coming out of the bathroom a few minutes later. Neal smiled and offered his arm as they exited his apartment. She slipped her arm into his easily and shut the door behind them as they walked to the stairs.

"Wait." He said, stopping them before they turned the corner of the hallway. He turned to face Maddie, leaned in close and planted a sweet kiss on her lips, she smiled.

"Peter would probably kill me if I did that in front of him, or at least send me back to prison." He said with a laugh. Maddie's stomach did a flip, she hadn't thought about what Peter would think of any of this.

She tried to keep a calm exterior, slipping her arm back into Neal's as they walked down the stairs and out of June's house, hailing a taxi to take them to Peter and Elizabeth's. Maddie's mind raced the whole way; she had to keep this from Peter, at least for now, until she could talk to him rationally about it. She knew Neal probably felt the same way so she wasn't worried that he'd let anything slip.

They arrived exactly at seven thirty and Neal knocked on the door, waiting patiently for someone to answer. Elizabeth pulled the door open a few seconds later, offering both of them a warm smile.

"Morning you two, come on in." She said, standing aside so they could enter the house.

"Peter's in the kitchen Neal." She said, accepting the hug he offered her.

"Thanks." He said, walking down the hallway.

"Coffee's ready so help yourself." She called after him.

"How are you sweetie?" Elizabeth asked, pulling Maddie in for a hug, she sighed.

"Better now." She said. Elizabeth nodded and walked with Maddie to the kitchen.

"I have off work today so we can hang out here and chat if you'd like." Elizabeth told her.

"Yeah, actually that'd be great, better than hanging out by myself all day." Maddie said with a smile.

They entered the kitchen to find Peter and Neal already bickering over breakfast.

"Peter, you can't just take your coffee plain, you have to put something in it." Neal said as he sat across from the agent.

"Neal, it's my coffee I'll do whatever I want with it, and it's far to early in the morning for me to be arguing with you about things like this so please just be quiet." He said, flashing a sarcastic smile at the con man. Neal glared then flashed the famous Caffrey grin back. Elizabeth laughed.

"Sorry Peter, you can try all you want but Neal will always be better with the fake smile." She said, patting Neal on the back as she moved around the table to sit next to Peter.

"Well, he's got a pretty big advantage." Peter said, looking back to Neal as he took another drink of his coffee.

The rest of the breakfast went smoothly and eventually Peter got a call from Diana about the case they were working on, calling Neal and Peter away.

"Be safe." Elizabeth told Peter.  
"I always am." He reassured her, giving her a quick kiss.

"You'll be okay?" Maddie asked Neal as they stood off to the side of the kitchen.  
"I'll be fine." He said, giving her a truthful smile, she sighed and pulled him into a hug and he wrapped his arms around her as well.  
"I'll be fine Maddie." He said again, she nodded but didn't move away from him yet, a bit reluctant to let him go. He leaned in, kissing her temple, letting his lips linger long enough for Maddie to close her eyes and lean her head against his. She glanced over at the empty spot where Peter and Elizabeth had stood, figuring they'd gone into the living room. She pulled back and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He smiled and she nodded, knowing he'd be okay.

"I'll see ya tonight." He said, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair and moving to the front door. Maddie followed and waved goodbye to both Peter and Neal as they left.

**Next chapter should be up by the end of the week at the latest. **

**Also remember I updated my YouTube channel with a 'behind the scenes' kind of video for this story, so go check it out, you'll learn some new things! the link to my channel is in my Profile.**

**And keep sending in reviews, you know I love hearing from you all, reviews make me very happy! :) **

**~Tara~**


	16. Chapter 16

**Another shortie I know, enjoy it though!**

Maddie helped Elizabeth clean up breakfast and then they took a seat in the living room together.

"So, what was last night all about?" She asked, turning on the sofa to look at Maddie. She sighed but explained the whole story and Elizabeth listened intently through the whole thing. By the end her face had fallen into sadness and she held her hand over her chest in shock.

"He was seriously going to stay out there all night?" She asked in disbelief. Maddie nodded.

"I think so; he was really broken up about it." She said.

"Peter knew, I should have had him check up on Neal. I didn't think he was going to go this far with anything." Elizabeth said, Maddie shook her head.

"No, it's no one's fault. Neal just needs time to get over this. I understand yesterday was difficult for him." She said.

"How are things with Neal, besides last night obviously?" Elizabeth asked.

"Complicated." Maddie said honestly, Elizabeth shot her a questioning look.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Maddie took a deep breath, and knowing she could trust El, decided to tell her.

"I don't think Neal see's me as just a friend." She said. Elizabeth's eyes grew wide in understanding.

"How do you know?" She asked. Maddie let a small smile slip onto her lips before she pushed it away for a more normal look.

"He kissed me." She admitted.

"When?" Elizabeth asked, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Last night in the graveyard after I yelled at him, he just, kissed me. I didn't even see it coming." She said.

"And after that?" El questioned. Maddie only nodded. Elizabeth thought quietly for a few moments.

"Well, the first question I need to ask is serious." Elizabeth said finally, a determined look on her face. Maddie nodded, letting her continue.

"He's a good kisser right?" Elizabeth asked, a smile slipping onto her face as she laughed. Maddie shook her head and joined in the laughter.

"Yes, yes, he's a wonderful kisser." She said, once she'd caught her breath again.

"But that's not the point El, the point is I don't know what I should do." She said.

"Why?" Elizabeth asked.

"I value Neal's friendship I really do. And I know that right now this thing with Kate is really messing him up. And I know that no matter what he's going to be the perfect gentleman because that's just who he is. But should I let myself fall into this, whatever kind of relationship it is, or should I say no?" Maddie asked, truly confused. Elizabeth sighed and mulled the predicament over in her head.

"What would Neal want?" She asked finally.  
"I don't know, and I am not really sure he's in the best position to be making romantic decisions right now, especially since last night he was attempting to kill himself because of Kate." She said. Elizabeth nodded.

"Listen Maddie." She said, placing a hand on Maddie's shoulder.

"If there's one thing I've learned from being married, it's that men are never really ready for a relationship. But sometimes if the girl knows its right, they just have to drag them into it." She said with a smile.

"I think maybe by being in a relationship with you, it might take some of the edge off of all this Kate stuff and maybe he'll start to move on if he sees that there's life worth moving on to." She finished. Maddie nodded in understanding.

"Thanks El." She said, wrapping her aunt in a hug.

"Okay, but now you have to tell me about this kiss." Elizabeth said, a small smirk forming on her lips.

"Every detail?" Maddie asked, fighting back the blush on her cheeks.

"Every one." Elizabeth said, smiling at her niece. They both laughed again as Maddie started explaining what had happened again, only this time a little more positively.

**So yes this was short, and it was a bit of filler, the next chapter should be up in a matter of days, Monday by the latest so keep your eyes open! Again, send in those reviews. I love writing for you all but I also love hearing from you, even if it's just a quick 2 word review, just getting the feedback is enough for me. Thanks!**

**~Tara~**


	17. Chapter 17

**So I offer many, many apologizes for how long i postponed this. I've been kinda sick all week and haven't really sat down at a computer in a few days. So I give you this, enjoy!**

Maddie spent the rest of the day with Elizabeth, they talked for a while at the house about Elizabeth's job and how Maddie was doing with finalizing everything for her house. Elizabeth convinced her to go out to lunch with her and she agreed. They ate at a new restaurant in town that was actually very nice. When they came back home Maddie helped Elizabeth start dinner and they talked quietly in the living room while it cooked.

It was a little after five when Peter and Neal arrived back at the house. Peter walked in quickly, moving to the kitchen with a less than amused look on his face. Neal smiled as he walked in after him, waving at Maddie and Elizabeth who sat on the couch.

"Neal, you haven't been upsetting my husband again have you?" Elizabeth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, not at all." He said defensively. Peter laughed as he entered the room.

"Don't lie." He said, pointing a finger at Neal.

"I told you to stay in the van." He said slowly, Neal rolled his eyes.

"I don't see why it's that big a deal, we caught they guy anyway Peter." He said.

"It doesn't matter, the point is I told you to do something and you didn't do it." Peter continued.

"And this surprises you?" Neal said with a smile. Peter sighed and rubbed his forehead, he could feel his headache forming already.

"Just go home." He said, exhaustion slipping into his voice. Neal shrugged and offered his hand to Maddie. She smiled but walked over to Peter, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"Sorry." She whispered in his ear.

"Just watch him." Peter said, hugging Maddie back. She nodded and kissed his cheek smiling.

"Bye." She said, Peter nodded and retreated back into the kitchen.

"Thanks for letting me spend the day El." Maddie said, hugging her aunt closely.

"It was no problem sweetie." She said.

"When do you think I should tell Peter?" Maddie asked quietly, casting a glance at Neal who was waiting by the door.

"Why don't you let me talk to him first, I'll see what I can do." She said.

"Thanks El." A bit of relief filled Maddie's voice.

"No problem hun." She said, giving Maddie another hug. Both women turned to look at Neal, Maddie smiled when he caught her eye and she nodded in Elizabeth's direction. Neal nodded back understanding the message.

Maddie had told Elizabeth, he wasn't really worried about El; she seemed to like him well enough. Really it was Peter he was worried about, and he was sure Maddie was too. Peter was protective, and he was bound to be even more protective if he found out Neal was having a romantic relationship with his niece. He was sure they'd figure something out though, and Peter would just have to be okay with it, it was Neal's life after all.

"I'll talk to you later." Elizabeth said, giving Maddie another quick hug and then going to find Peter. Maddie smiled as she and Neal left the house hand in hand. He hailed them a cab which took them back into the city and to June's house. They walked in together, Maddie laughing as Neal joked with her.

"Good evening you two." June said as she greeted them in the living room.

"Glad to see you both look okay." She said, leaning into Neal's one armed embrace he pulled her into.

"Were much better, thank you June." He said smiling down at her.

"You're welcome, just looking out for you." She said, patting him on the back. She smiled and walked away.

"Oh, Mozzie was here but he had to leave, he says hello." June called to them as they walked up the stairs.

"Thank you." Neal called back. They walked silently to the door to his apartment and found that Mozzie had in fact been there. Two plates of food sat on the table with a note explaining that Mozzie had brought food but no one was here and he wasn't going to eat it all himself.

The food was still a little warm so Neal figured Mozzie had probably left not too long ago. They heated the food up a little and then sat down to eat. Neal informed Maddie about the case and what had happened today. She understood Peter's frustration about Neal not staying in the van but in the time she'd known Neal she learned that his instincts were usually right and that she really shouldn't worry about trusting him.

They laughed as Neal explained how upset Peter was and Maddie smiled shaking her head at how much the two argued, even though she knew both respected each other greatly.

Neal offered to clean up dinner and Maddie went to the bathroom to change into something warmer and more comfortable. Neal was still cleaning when she emerged a few minutes later so she pulled the oversized, heavy comforter off his bed and slipped out onto the balcony, wrapping the blanket tight around her. Really it was stupid for her to be out here, it was early December and it was freezing, especially at eight o'clock at night, but she needed some fresh air.

Neal joined her a few minutes later, coming to stand beside her.

"Mind if I share?" He asked. Maddie smiled at him and let go of one end of the blanket so he could slip in next to her. He sat down beside her and closed the gap in the comforter, pulling her closer so they'd stay warmer. She smiled and let her head rest under his chin.

"So how was your day with Elizabeth?" He asked.

"Great, it was a very girly day." She said with a laugh.

"So she knows about you and I, about this?" he asked, she nodded and he leaned down, letting his lips rest against her head, kissing her hair lightly.

"What did she say?" He asked.

"She doesn't have a problem, she said if it's really what we think is right then there's no harm in us going for it." She said. Neal nodded.

"What about Peter?" He asked. Maddie took a deep breath.  
"Elizabeth said she'd talk to him." She said.

"You think he'll be okay with it?" Neal asked.  
"No." Maddie answered quickly. She felt Neal tense and she looked up into his eyes. She reached her hand up to cup his face gently.

"But it's my life; he can't tell me who to date Neal." She said. He nodded and she felt him relax. She smiled and kissed him sweetly, then leaned her head back down to rest under his chin again.

"So you think he'll just let it go?" he asked a few minutes later.

"No, I don't, he'll probably argue with me about it and try to get me to change my mind but in the end it's my decision." She said.

"It'll be okay Neal." She said, looking up at him again.

"He won't send me back to prison?" he asked. Maddie laughed.

"No, he won't send you back to prison." She said, holding Neal tighter against herself.

They sat in the quiet together for a few more minutes, the blanket wrapped tight around them. Neal felt Maddie start to shiver slightly and he hugged her tighter.

"We should take this inside." He said, Maddie nodded silently and followed Neal back inside. She shut and locked the door behind them and Neal turned out some of the lights in the apartment, making things feel more relaxed. He came up behind her and wrapped the blanket around her again, smiling as he directed her over to his bed. He sat down first, his back propped against the head bored. He opened the blanket up and Maddie slid in next to him, wrapping the warm blanket back around them as she rested her head on his chest. She draped an arm across his waist and he slipped his arm around her hip, holding her close to himself. They sat quietly for a while, neither one saying anything, just relaxing and enjoying being together. Finally Maddie spoke up,

"I had another dream last night." She admitted. Neal looked down at her, concern written on his face.

"I didn't hear you." He said. She shrugged.

"Just because I don't make crazy noises doesn't mean I don't have nightmares." She said, he sighed and kissed her head lightly.

"What about?" He asked.

"Same thing as always, just, worse." She said quietly.

"Worse how?"

Maddie shook her head.

"I don't really wanna talk about it."

"Maddie I thought we had a deal. I'll try and help you but you have to talk to me." Neal said, looking down at her. She sighed and thought about the best way to say what she knew she was going to have to say.

"You didn't hear me last night because I woke up halfway through. I got out of bed to-" She shopped and faltered for words.

"To check on you, and when I made sure you were okay I went back to bed." She finished.

"That doesn't answer my first question, worse how?" He asked again.

"You were hurt, okay." She said after a good minute.

"Hurt how?"  
"Neal."

"I just want to know, it'll help if you talk about it. It doesn't bother me Maddie, just tell me." He said.

"It may not bother you but it bothers me. It's enough for me to see it once but, I see it all the time. Whenever I close my eyes, it's you on the ground and your unconscious and injured and beat up and it hurts me a lot to think about it." She said, pushing a few stray tears back. He wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"Maddie I am fine, I am right here." He said, she shook her head.  
"David was a dangerous man. He kidnapped me and was willing to kill me for a few diamonds, what's to say he couldn't have done something equally worse to you or Peter." She said.

"There's not. But David's behind bars now, he can't hurt you anymore, or Peter or me." He said.

"I know." Maddie said quietly. Neal reached a hand up to her face, turning her chin up to look him in the eyes.

"It's going to be okay Maddie; we'll get through this together okay." He said, running his thumb gently across her cheek. She nodded silently but continued to look into his eyes. He leaned in closer, letting his head rest against hers, keeping their faces inches apart.

"I promise." He said. Maddie sighed in relief and he slowly pushed his lips against hers. Maddie let her mind go blank, forced herself not to see the injured Neal from her dreams but instead the very safe Neal that lay with her right now, with bright dazzling blue eyes and a perfect smile.  
She took a breath quickly, re assuring herself that this was all very real, and she knew even more when she felt Neal push his lips back against hers, with more passion this time than ever before. She knew what he was doing. He was proving to her that he'd be there, that he cared about her, reinforcing his promise. Really he didn't need to, she trusted him to be there for her, no re assurance needed, however if this was how he wanted to go about it, who was she to complain? She let herself smile against his lips, soft but very real and very solid and that was what made her forget about David and the kidnapping and focus simply on the wonder of a man right in front of her.

They didn't talk the rest of the night, and really they didn't need to. They simply lay together inside the warmth of the blanket, each holding the other close for their own reasons, and eventually that's how they fell asleep, peacefully.

**So I hope you enjoyed. leave me some reviews, you know I enjoy them! next chapter should be up sometime soon, this weekend or early next week at the latest. Thanks for reading!**

**~Tara~**


	18. Chapter 18

***sigh* I am so bad at updating on schedule sorry. however here is the next chapter, enjoy!**

Maddie woke up late that morning, knowing it was the weekend and Neal didn't have anywhere he needed to be. He still lay with her, wrapped inside the warm blanket, his arms wrapped lightly around her waist. She smiled up at him and took in his peaceful face. He looked almost childlike, innocent, which was sometimes a stretch for Neal, depending on the day and who was asking what. She smiled again and rested her head back against his chest, closing her eyes and falling back into a light sleep.

There was someone pounding on Neal's door when she woke up an hour later. She groaned and turned away from the noise but Neal was already moving, slipping out of the bed and to the door. He opened it slowly, his stomach clenching as he found Peter in the doorway with a not-so-pleased look on his face.

"Peter?" he said, faking surprise.

Maddie panicked, it was almost noon on Saturday and her and Neal were both still in pajamas, and had only woken up a few seconds ago. She moved out of Neal's bed quickly, fixing the covers as Neal stalled Peter at the door. When she was done she made quick eye contact with Neal who then allowed Peter to move into the apartment.

"Hi Peter, what are you doing here?" Maddie asked, trying not to sound as scared as she was. Peter made a point of glancing at both Maddie and Neal's wardrobe's and then the fact that there was only one bed available at the moment and that was Neal's. He shook his head.

"I am not going to ask." He said.

"I just came here to talk to you." He looked at Maddie.

"Okay." She said, a bit apprehensive.

"Not me?" Neal asked, giving his best upset face.

"I'll deal with you later." Peter said, seeing right through Neal's façade. Neal winced and moved away from the two, knowing better than to get involved.

Peter led Maddie out of Neal's apartment and into a small sitting room down the hall. They sat down quietly on a plush sofa, Maddie trying to keep her worries bottled up.

"So you wanted to talk?" She asked.

"El alerted me to you and Neal's little romance." He said, just like Peter, always going right for the kill. Maddie sighed.

"And?" She asked, knowing to keep her mouth shut until Peter was finished.

"And I just-" He stopped and thought for a moment.

"I guess I just wanted to ask why?" He said finally. Maddie took a few moments, trying to find the best way to say what she wanted to.

"Because we need each other." She said finally.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"Neal is still trying to move past the whole Kate thing, I am still trying to move past being kidnapped. We're both a little broken up right now, I think we each just need someone equally as broken to try and help fix us." She told him.

Peter thought for a while, thoughts turning over in his head. Finally he sighed, and looked Maddie in the eye.

"I can't tell you who to date Maddie, but I can ask that you be careful. Yes Neal is a good guy, but things having to do with Kate can really mess him up sometimes, two nights ago is a perfect example. If he get's anywhere close to finding out what happened to her, he's not going to care about the consequences his actions have on others, he'll do whatever it takes. You understand that right?" Peter asked.

Maddie nodded.

"I know, and really I don't expect any of this to last but right now, I think it's something we both need." She said.

"Alright." He said.

"Just be careful." He added, wrapping Maddie in a quick hug.

"I will." She said.

"Now send Neal out here, it's his turn." Peter said as Maddie left.

"Just go easy on him." She said with a laugh.

Maddie came back into the apartment and told Neal that Peter wanted to talk to him. He sighed and left the room after giving Maddie a quick hug and kiss.

She walked back to the closet, pulling out an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and then she slipped into the bathroom to change.

She walked over to her purse when she emerged a few minutes' later, digging around for her cell phone and finding the paperclip bracelet Neal had fixed for her. She smiled and slipped it on her wrist, the bright blue ribbon standing out against the silver it was wrapped around.

Neal came back into the room a while later, looking a bit drained.

"Where's Peter?" She asked, joining him at the kitchen table.

"He had to leave." Neal said.

"You alright?"  
He sighed but nodded.

"Yeah fine." He said.

"He didn't go crazy on you did he?" Maddie asked concern in her voice.

"No, no everything he said was true." Neal said. He was quiet for a few seconds, and then he took Maddie's hands in his own.

"You know I'd never hurt you right?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said. Confused about what all this was about.

"Good." He let her hands go and stood up, walking to the fridge.

"Do you wanna go out to get lunch?" he asked.

"Yeah sure." She said, standing up to retrieve her purse.

"I do love you Maddie." He said as they stood in his doorway.

"I love you too." She said, a bit hesitant to say the words aloud but happy just the same. He smiled at her, and kissed her sweetly. She wrapped her arm around his and they left.

Lunch was delicious, Neal took her to some classy place in the city that had great food and he promised to take her there again sometime. They walked the streets hand in hand after lunch, chatting quietly, jackets wrapped warmly around their bodies to shield them from the winter cold.

Neal instantly noticed she was still cold though, and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to try and offer her a bit more warmth.

"We should get back to June's." He said, moving to the curb to hail a taxi.

Neal paid the driver and they walked into June's house together.

"Good afternoon my dears." June said, embracing both of them in a hug.

"How was lunch?" She asked Maddie, giving Neal a quick hug.

"It was great actually, I told Neal we'd have to go back." She said. June smiled up at Neal.

"Good, I am glad to see you two getting out of the house, but it is a bit chilly so go upstairs and get warm. I lit a small fire for you Neal; I know it's a lot colder in your apartment since you have the doors to the balcony." She said, moving to the stairs.

"Thank you June." He said, leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek and a smile.

"I'll see you two later." She said, as they walked up the stairs.

The one room apartment was much warmer when they opened the door and stepped in. Neal walked over to the small fire, sitting down in front of it and shifting the wood around with one of the metal pokers so the flames re-appeared. Maddie went back to the bathroom to change; figuring a day spent doing nothing could at least be spent comfortably. She re-emerged a few seconds later in a pair of gray velour lounge pants and a simple long sleeved shirt. She joined Neal at the fire, wrapping her arms around him from behind and planting a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Warm?" he asked as she sat down next to him.

"Yeah." She said, smiling.

"You wore your bracelet today." He commented, looking down at her wrist, she smiled.

"I did, I told you I loved it." She said, he nodded and shifted the wood around a bit more.

"Did you have a dream last night?" He asked.

"No, actually I slept pretty well." She admitted. "How about you?"

Neal took a few seconds to answer, but finally he put on a smile and shook his head.

"No, not really." He said. She nodded but knew that was a lie.

"Neal you can tell me." She said, reaching a hand out to touch his. He sighed and took her hand in his, standing up and walking over to the sofa with her. They sat down and Neal wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close to him.

"I just don't want you to get hurt because of me." He said quietly.

"I am not going to." She said

"You don't know that." Maddie sighed and looked him in the eyes.

"No, I don't, but I also know you'd never purposely do anything to harm me. I understand that when it comes to Kate thing's get a little fuzzy but I get that." She said. He nodded and wrapped her in a hug.

"Thank you." He said. She nodded and kissed him sweetly, leaning into his embrace.

**Okay so I promise I'll try and update on time this time, say sometime over the weekend, saturday or sunday maybe. I promise I'll try. **

**Other than that just get those reviews in, since I write ahead I am almost wrapped on the whole story but I am in a bit of a block, so your reviews are really important to me right now, they'll help move me along. I am not one to beg, and I check the traffic of the story so I see that it's being viewed alot but I only ever get one or two reviews a chapter. I am happy you guys are all reading believe me! but it would mean alot of you shot me a quick little review! **

**so get those in, stay tuned for the next chapter. love you all!**

**~Tara~**


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay so, here we go. This chapter is obviously alot longer than the last few I've been posting, were getting into the core of the second half here. Things are about to get a little crazy, read on!**

They stayed that way for a while, talking quietly and just enjoying the time together.  
Peter stopped by a little after four and dropped off a few case files for Neal which he took to looking through while Maddie worked on a project for her art class, reminding herself that she had to go on Monday.

The apartment was quiet, each working on their respective projects. It wasn't until six that someone else knocked on the door. Neal opened it up, letting in what seemed to be a very worried Mozzie. He sat a few boxes of food down on the table and then whispered something to Neal.

"Maddie, were just gonna step out real quick, be right back." He said, smiling at Maddie.

"Okay sure." She said. Mozzie was pulling on Neal's hand like a child, trying to get him to leave the room faster.

He walked out behind Mozzie, shutting the door behind him.

"Okay." Mozzie said, then glanced around and shook his head, pointing further down the hallway. Neal sighed but followed.

"Okay, we're keeping this to ourselves for now, understand?" He asked. Neal rolled his eyes.

"Yes Moz I get it, now what's so urgent?" He asked.

"I've been doing a little background work into that jewelry thief you put away, David, the one who kidnapped Maddie." He said.

"Why?" Neal asked.

"Just something about all of it didn't make sense to me." He said, brushing off Neal's comment.

"Anyway, I did some digging, and I wanted to show you this." He said, pulling a few files out of the messenger bag he had across his shoulder.

Neal opened them up and flipped through them quickly, his eyes going wide when he realized what it was.

"How recent is this?" He asked.

"Just a few days. Look this David guy obviously had some problems with some people; the cash he was going to get from the jewelry heist was what he was going to use to pay them back." Mozzie explained.

"We interfered with that by arresting David." Neal continued.

"But these people still want payment." Mozzie finished. Neal shook his head and started pacing.

"These are dangerous people Neal. They know you and the Suit were involved, there not just going to come to your door asking nicely for money." Mozzie said.

"I get that Moz, but what do you want me to do?" He asked.

"Well you need to get some kind of protection, and as much as I hate to say it that means you need to fill in the Suit." He said.

"I can't do that." Neal said simply. Mozzie looked at him with astonishment.

"Do you want to die! Did you not hear what I just said, there bad, dangerous people Neal." Mozzie shouted.

"Quite okay, I get it, but listen." Neal said, taking Mozzie further down the hallway.

"Maddie hasn't been getting over being kidnapped the first time; she's still having nightmares about it. I can't just go in there and tell her that it's possible that Peter or I could be in serious trouble with these guys, it'd freak her out to much, she can't handle it." Neal explained.

"Well, you have to at least tell your Suit, if both of you know maybe you can handle it without Maddie knowing. But do it quick, if this conversation is as recent as it says it is."

"There already looking for us." Neal finished, Mozzie nodded.

"You don't think they'd come after Maddie do you?" Neal asked, Mozzie shrugged.

"It's hard to say, David kidnapped her the first time, if they saw how much it upset you and the Suit that she was gone. Anything is possible." He said. Neal nodded, a thousand thoughts running through his head.

"June's going out of town at the end of this week, I can't leave Maddie here alone during the days."  
"I'll stay with her." Mozzie said.

"Are you sure?" Neal asked.

"As surprising as it may seem to you, Niece Suit and I have quite a good friendship, I don't mind spending a few days with her, until you get this figured out." Mozzie said. Neal nodded,

"Thank you Moz." He said.

"We should get back, Maddie's gonna start thinking something's up." Neal said, starting back to his apartment.

The two walked back into the apartment quietly, Mozzie started dishing out the food he brought while Neal walked over to where Maddie sat.

"Mozzie brought dinner, you hungry?" He asked, giving her a quick kiss on the head.

"Yeah sure, just let me put this stuff away." She said, closing up her sketch book. Neal walked back over to Mozzie, helping him fix dinner and then the three of them sat down at the table and ate quietly.

"Find anything interesting in those files Peter brought you?" Maddie asked after dinner was finished. Neal shrugged.

"A few things, it's basically just wrapping up stuff." He said.

"How have your art classes been going Maddie?" Mozzie asked.

"Pretty good, I was actually working on a few things before you came." She said.

"Oh great, could I take a peek?" He said, smiling at Maddie.

"Sure Moz." She said, they both stood up and walked into the living room, Mozzie passing Neal a glance as he walked by. Neal nodded and slipped out into the hallway, pulling his cell phone from his pocket and calling Peter.

"What's up Neal?" He answered.

"Mozzie and I need to talk to you." He said.

"Right now?"

"It's pretty urgent." Neal explained. Peter sighed and he could hear him talking to Elizabeth in the background.

"Alright, I'll be there soon." He said, then hung up.

Neal slipped back into the apartment quietly to check on Maddie and Mozzie but they were both still invested in the drawings Maddie had done that Neal figured he had enough time. He shut the door quietly behind him again and walked downstairs to find June.

She was just entering the living room as Neal did and he motioned for her to sit with him on the sofa.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course dear." June said.

Neal explained the information that Mozzie had found and told to her that he thought it best to keep this from Maddie for right now.

"I just got off the phone with Peter, he's coming over so Mozzie and I can fill him in but-"  
"You need someone to keep Maddie entertained." June finished.

"Otherwise engaged, yes." Neal confirmed. June smiled.

"That's fine, send her down, I have a few things we can chat about." June said.

"Thank you, so much."

"It's no problem, just let me know what Peter has to say after. You know I care about Maddie too." She said. Neal nodded, wrapped June in a quick hug, and then hurried back upstairs.

Maddie was still sitting on the couch talking with Mozzie when he entered the apartment again.

Neal walked over joining them and smiling at the pride written on Maddie's face as Mozzie told her how great an artist he thought she was.

"Maddie," Neal said, getting her attention.

"I hate to, pull you away from this little love fest." He said, shooting a sarcastic smile at Mozzie.

"But June wanted to talk to you about something; she's down in the living room." He said. Maddie nodded and closed her sketch book back up, standing from the sofa.

"I'll be back." She said with a smile, leaving the room.

"He's coming?" Mozzie asked, Neal nodded.

"And June said she'd keep Maddie busy for a while." He said.

Peter arrived a few minutes later and Neal ushered him into the apartment quickly.

"Where's Maddie?" he asked, looking around.

"Downstairs with June." Neal told him, walking over to the table where Mozzie had laid out the files. "Okay so what was so urgent?" He asked, coming to stand next to the two men.

Mozzie handed him a file and let him read for himself. Neal noticed his face tense but he waited patiently for him to say something.

"We'll get a protective detail for Maddie." He said, Neal shook his head and removed the file from Peter's hand.

"She can't know about this." He said simply.  
"And why not?"

"She's been having nightmares Peter, about the first time she was kidnapped, there bad, I don't wanna upset her more by telling her that it could happen again." He said, Peter sighed but could see the concern for Maddie written clearly across Neal's face.

"Alright but she still needs to be looked after." He said.

"Mozzie is gonna stay with her during the day while I am with you." He explained.

"I still want an agent outside the house." Peter insisted. Neal sighed but nodded.

"Fine, but she can't know." He said.

Peter sat down at the table, exhaustion hitting him.

"They wouldn't go after her though." He said. Neal exchanged a quick glance with Mozzie, which Peter caught.

"You think they will." He said simply.

"If these people know how upset we were the last time she was kidnapped." Neal said, Peter nodded, understanding where he was going with this.

"What about us?" he asked, looking to Neal. He shrugged.

"I don't know." He said honestly.

"We'll take um down." Peter said, determination in his voice.

"Your sure Maddie will be okay?" He asked, Neal nodded.  
"I'll keep her safe this time, I promise." He said, Peter caught the broken emotions in his eyes before he could cover them back up with the calm façade he put on but he didn't say anything.

"Alright. I need to get back home, think this all over." He said, Neal nodded and stood, walking Peter to the door.

"Thank you, for finding this out Mozzie." Peter said. Mozzie nodded.

"We'll just say you owe me Suit." He said simply, Peter rolled his eyes but smiled and then left.

Neal sighed as he shut the door behind him and glanced at the clock.

"It's past nine thirty." He stated. Mozzie glanced at the clock on the wall and realized he was right, then he looked back to Neal.

"You don't have to see her every night Neal." He said, moving to stand next to him. Neal didn't say anything.

"Think about it this way, you can leave every night to spend time with a girl who you love, but you can't protect anymore. Or you can stay here with a girl you love, who needs your protection, now more than ever." Mozzie said. Neal nodded.

"Your right Moz." He said quietly.

"it's a process, I understand." Mozzie said, knowing that it would take quite a while for Neal to ever get over Kate.

"Just remember Maddie the next time you think about doing something crazy." He said, patting his friend on the back and leaving for the night.

Neal stood in the silence of the apartment for a few minutes, letting Mozzie's words sink in. He was right, like always. It was true, he loved Kate, but there was nothing he could do for her anymore, as much as it pained him to admit it, Kate was gone, he couldn't help her anymore. But Maddie was here, and he loved her too, and right now she needed to be safe and he was determined that this time he would keep her safe. These people that were after David for money, they wouldn't get to Maddie, he swore it, he'd do anything to keep her safe, and if that meant giving himself up to these people instead then fine, so long as Maddie stayed safe.

He took a deep breath and turned to the door as he heard it open, Maddie stepped inside, a smile on her face.

"I saw Mozzie leave, he said to tell you goodnight." She said, walking up to Neal and instantly noticing the struggle in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked, letting her hands rest on his arms. He stared at her for a few seconds, letting his hands come to rest on her hips, reassurance that she was truly there.

"I am fine." He said, letting a small smile slip onto his face as he pulled her in close.

"Okay." She said simply, returning the embrace.

He helped her clean up the dishes from supper and she finished putting away her art supplies as he got ready for bed. He kissed her quickly as he came back in the room, letting her slip by him so she could change as well. She looked at him curiously from the door of the bathroom as she came back out.

"You know it's past nine thirty right?" She said simply. He turned from where he stood at his bed.  
"I know."

"Don't you wanna-"  
"No, I am fine." He said simply. Maddie walked over to him slowly and glanced at him.

"You sure?" She asked.

"I don't mind Neal really." She added.

"I promise Maddie, I am fine. Eventually I have to start realizing that there's nothing more I can do for Kate. Besides I have someone else here who could use the attention." He said smiling; she smiled back and kissed him sweetly. She turned to move to her side of the room, preparing to get her bed ready but her grabbed her hand and spun her back around.

"You said you slept well last night right?" He asked. She gave him a questioning look.

"Yeah."  
"So, " He said simply, and pulled the heavy covers of his bed back, then moved around to the other side. She smiled a very small smile but looked at him.

"Are you sure?" She asked. He nodded and lay down. She let another small smile grace her lips and then slid in next to him, letting him pull her into his warm embrace.

"You're sure your okay with this?" She asked, looking up into his face.

"I am sure Maddie." He said.

The room had darkened, since Neal flipped the lights off but the moon shining in through the large skylight windows above them lit the room with just enough light that Maddie could still see the pain and struggle in his eyes.

"Neal is there something you're not telling me?" She asked, a serious tone invading her voice. He sighed and thought for a second.

"I just want you to know that no matter what happens, ever, I'll protect you, okay?" He said. Her brow knitted together in confusion at his statement but she nodded.

"Okay." She said simply. He kissed her and then let her rest her head against his chest.

Maddie ran his statement through her mind again. She didn't know where this was coming from. The only explanation she could think of was that he was trying desperately to get over losing Kate and he was trying to make up for not protecting Kate from what happened, by protecting herself instead. It was sweet really, at least she thought so, she could tell it upset Neal but when she glanced up into his eyes again she knew there was something else, something far more important than just Kate, but he wouldn't tell her and she didn't feel much like prying it out of him now so instead she wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes to sleep.

**Alright like I said, were getting into it now. This plot line will play out for a few more chapters yet and then we'll be winding down to the end of the story. so please send in some reviews, let me know what you thought! this is a really crucial part in the story and It's very important to me to know if you think it's going well or not, remember I can always change something comming up, but only if you tell me, so please let me know! thanks, I'll be posting soon!**

**~Tara~**


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay so I am really late on getting this up, it's been quite crazy around here with the holidays and everything, very sorry I didn't get this up sooner but here it is now! enjoy!**

Neal was right, she did sleep better. Her dreams were less threatening and simpler, things that she didn't even really remember when she woke up the next morning.

Neal was up already, leaving her an empty bed to stretch out in as she opened her eyes slowly. She saw him sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in his hands and a few files lay out on the table in front of him. She yawned and ran a hand through her hair, stepping out of the bed and walking slowly over to him.

"Morning." She said, taking a seat next to him. He smiled and quickly shut the folders in front of him.

"What's that?" She asked, reaching out to take one.

"Nothing," He said, pulling the files out of her reach. "Just work." He said with a smile. She eyed him curiously but brushed it off.

"Okay." She said simply.

"Peter asked me to come over today, do a little work at his house, is that okay?" he asked, taking another sip of coffee.

"Yeah that's fine. I have a meeting with the realtor today anyway so I won't be here." She said simply, he nodded and stood up from the table.

"Neal, you know you can tell me anything right?" She said, not looking at him.

He turned around and stared at her for a few seconds.

"I know." He said. She nodded and he continued to move into the bedroom, collecting his clothes for the day and then walking into the bathroom without saying anything else to Maddie.

She sighed and stood, walking over to poor herself a cup of coffee and then moved to sit on the couch, pulling a book that looked slightly interesting from the shelf next to her.

Neal came out of the bathroom a while later, his hair still damp, and walked back into the living room, fixing a tie around his neck.  
Maddie glanced up at him from her book and watched as he fixed his suit in the large mirror that stood between the living room and his bedroom.

"When's your meeting?" he asked when he noticed her staring.

"Noon." She said, glancing at the clock and seeing it was a little past ten.

"Your meeting with Peter?" She questioned back.

"Now actually," he said glancing at the clock. "But it won't take that long to get there." He finished with a smile. He grabbed a heavy jacket from his closet and walked over to Maddie.

"You can call if you need me." He said, leaning down to give her a kiss.

"I'll see you when you get back." She said with a smile. He nodded and smiled back, then left.

Maddie knew there was something he wasn't telling her but Neal was a vault, and she wasn't going to get in the easy way.

Neal never made it to Peter's until well after ten thirty and Peter was pacing in the living room anxiously when he did finally arrive.

"Where have you been, I said we were supposed to start at ten o'clock it's now almost eleven." Peter said, pointing angrily at the clock on the wall. Neal shrugged,

"It's not like you didn't know where I was." He said, sitting down on the couch and propping his feet on the table in front of him, pulling his pants leg up enough so his anklet was clearly visible. Peter sighed and stared down at him.

"That's not the point, and no feet on the table." He said, turning to walk into the kitchen. Neal rolled his eyes and pulled out his cell phone, he dialed quickly and put the phone to his ear.

"Yes?"

"Hey Moz, the meeting's on, where are you at?" He said

"I just left June's. Just making sure the watchman Suit knows what he's doing." Mozzie said.

"Mozzie he'll be fine, he knows he supposed to follow Maddie, it's not that hard a job." Neal said, shaking his head.

"You say this now, but the next thing you know-"

"Just get here quick." Neal said cutting him off before he could start in on a rant about something.

"I don't move quickly you know that." Mozzie said, and then hung up.

Neal put his cell phone back in his pocket and then joined Peter in the kitchen.

"Mozzie coming?" He asked.

"He'll be here as soon as he can." Neal answered, taking a seat across the table.

The two talked for a while about how they were going to go about pulling these guys in and how to keep Maddie safe in all of it. Finally Mozzie arrived and joined the conversation.

"They just want the money right? So can't we send someone in to give it to them and then arrest them when they've taken it?" Neal asked.

"Who would you send?" Mozzie asked.

"I'll do it." Neal said quickly.

"They know we were involved in David's case, there not going to willingly take money from a Fed." Peter told him.

"Technically I am not a Fed." Neal answered. Mozzie looked thoughtful for a few seconds.

"You think they'd believe you?" Mozzie asked.

"What exactly do you plan on doing?" Peter questioned.

"I'll send out word that I have the money for them." Neal started.

"But if they think you're working with the FBI they'll never meet with you." Peter cut in.

"So I have to prove I am not." He said with a smile.

"Cut the anklet." Peter mused, Neal nodded.

"Prove to them that I am not with the FBI; tell them I am willing to give them the cash they need." He explained.

"And what do you get out of it?" Mozzie asked, Neal shrugged.

"Three percent." He offered, Peter scoffed.

"You must have some kind of death wish if you think there just gonna cut you in for that much." He said.

"They'll do what I ask if they wanna get out clean. They try and screw me over I'll go back to my friends at the FBI." Neal said.

"So you give them the money, they pay you back-"

"But they won't give me three percent." Neal cut in.

"So you take the information you find out back to us." Peter continued.

"Not that you won't already know, you'll have to keep tabs on me some way right?" He asked, Peter nodded.

"You tell them you'll get the FBI involved and we take um down." Peter finished.

"Sounds like a plan." Neal said with a smile.

"And what if this all goes wrong?" Mozzie asked.

"Ever the pessimist?" Neal said sarcastically.  
"Just trying to be safe here." He defended.

"I can handle this, it's easy." Neal said.

"Well we thought David was going to be easy to take down too and look how that turned out." Peter commented, Mozzie nodded in agreement.

"It'll be fine okay, nothing's gonna go wrong." He said.

"Alright, but first we have to get word out that you're willing to make an offer." Peter said. "I'll get Jones and Diana to handle it." He said, making the quick call.

"How was Maddie last night?" He asked as the three ate the lunch Elizabeth had left for them.

"She knows something's up but she doesn't know what." Neal told them.  
"Well keep it that way. Maddie isn't one to sit around and let people take care of her; she'll be right out in the heart of things if she figures it out." Peter told him.

"Mozzie's gonna keep an eye on her and you have a protective detail outside of June's, I think she'll be just fine." Neal said,

"Just keep her safe." Peter said.

"I will." Neal stated, Peter sighed and brushed off the worry that was flooding his senses. Neal was bound to get into trouble with this, he knew it. He was swearing to keep Maddie safe and he'd do whatever it took to keep it that way. But this was an instance where Peter had to put the worry aside and trust that Neal would use his head instead of his heart and get the job done.

Peter told Neal there wasn't much else they could do until whoever these people were that were looking for the money decided they were interested in talking to Neal, so he told both Neal and Mozzie to head back home and that he'd call with any information as soon as it came in.

They weren't even a block away from Peter's house before Mozzie started in on Neal.

"I know what you're thinking." He said.

"That's cryptic, what exactly am I thinking?" Neal questioned, amused.

"You're thinking that you have no problem with putting yourself in danger for Maddie." Mozzie said.

"I don't, I promised Peter that I'd protect her and that's what I'll do, no matter what." He said.

"But you could die." Mozzie pointed out.

"Thanks for that boost of confidence, I am not gonna die Mozzie, I'll be fine. And so will Maddie." He stated.

Mozzie sighed and threw his hands in the air, signaling his defeat.

"Listen I am gonna get back home, Maddie had a meeting about her house at noon so she should be home soon." Neal said.

"Alright, let me know if Peter finds anything." Mozzie said. Neal nodded and headed off to find a cab. Mozzie hung back and when Neal was out of sight he quickly turned around and walked back to Peter's house.

He knocked on the door quickly and waited for an answer.

"Mozzie? Did you forget something?" Peter asked.

"No, we need to talk about Neal." He said simply, making his way into the house. Peter sighed and followed him to the kitchen.

"You're worried about him too?" Peter questioned

"Neal is taking this protect Maddie thing to extremes. I am worried what he'll do if something goes wrong with this plan." Mozzie explained.

"It wouldn't surprise me if he did something crazy." Peter mused.

"Do you know why he's doing this?" Peter asked.

Mozzie thought for a few seconds before answering.

"Neal and Maddie have become very close, very fast. He knows that she's not over what happened with David and being kidnapped the first time. He wants to do whatever he can to protect her from it."

Mozzie said.

"But really, I think he's just telling himself that so he doesn't have to think about Kate." He finished. Peter nodded.

"He feels that protecting Maddie will make up for not protecting Kate." He said simply.

"Maddie said that's what he felt when he rescued her the first time, that it made up for something." Peter said.

"I am not gonna say it's a bad thing, it's good that he's worried about her, Just keep a close eye on him." Mozzie said as he stood.

"I will if you will." Peter said. Mozzie nodded and walked to the door.

"Until next time, Suit." And with a curt nod he left. Peter shook his head and walked back to the kitchen, sitting down in front of opened files with a sigh.

**Not much to say down here except the next chapter should be up soon, I'd look for it by the end of the week or early weekend, so keep your eyes open! other than that please keep sending in reviews! thank you!**

**~Tara~**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay so next chapter, enjoy!**

Maddie wasn't home when Neal got back but the agent wasn't outside watching either so he assumed that Maddie was taken care of for the time being so he closed the door to his apartment and walked back downstairs.

"June, I am just gonna run out for dinner, if Maddie gets back tell her I'll be up soon." He said, giving his landlady a quick hug. She nodded and he left, walking to one of Maddie's favorite restaurants to pick up food.

Maddie was home when he came back but she was showering so he had enough time to dish out the food and poor two glasses of wine for their supper. He was sitting quietly in the living room when she finally emerged from the bathroom, dressed casual, her dark wet hair hanging limp around her face.

"Hey." She said with a smile, walking over to give him a hug and a kiss.

"How's Peter?" She asked, sliding into his embrace.

"Good, he says hi." Neal responded.

"I got us supper." He said, guiding her over to the kitchen table. She smiled and hugged him a little tighter.

"My favorite, thank you." She said, smiling and giving him another kiss as she sat down.

"So how was your meeting?" He asked as they began eating. She sighed and shrugged.

"Not bad, most of the other people who were thinking of renting the house backed off but there's one person being extremely persistent. There thinking about upping the rent but if it goes much higher I'll have to find somewhere else, I just can't afford it right now." She said, her mood slipping.

"I am sorry." Neal said,

"No it's fine. I'll just hope for the best and maybe whoever this is will find someplace new." She said

"What's the place like?" He asked.

"Just a simple house, I can take you out tomorrow if you wanna see it." She said, he smiled.

"Yeah, that'd be great; maybe I can charm the price down a bit." He winked and she laughed.

"Why hadn't I thought of that before?" she said between laughs.

They finished the rest of their dinner with soft conversation and Neal offered to clean up. Maddie was sitting curled up on the sofa with her sketch pad in front of her working on a drawing when Neal came back in. He sat down next to her and pulled her in close.

"That's beautiful." He said, admiring her drawing.

It was a simple landscape, a beautiful beach drawn in black and white. The waves were slowly moving onto the shore and what looked to be a young couple was walking along the sand holding hands.

"Thanks." She said with a smile.

"Any particular location?" he asked, she shrugged.

"Just a beach."

"Well it's a lovely beach." He said.

"This for class?"  
"Yeah landscaping was our assignment for the week." She explained.

"Well I am sure it's bound to get an A plus." He said, kissing her quickly. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"How come you don't draw anymore?" She asked him. She felt him tense a bit but waited for a response.

"Just don't." he said finally. She looked up at him and saw the darkness in his eyes

"Would you draw something for me?" She asked, moving the sketch pad toward him a bit. He stared at it for a long while before finally taking it from her.  
She stayed where she was, watching him work silently, following the lines carefully with her eyes. He moved quickly and she could tell he wasn't taking his time with it on purpose but she didn't mind, he was drawing something at least. It took another few seconds for him to finish and when she finally took in the whole drawing she smiled.  
"That's amazing." She said, looking on the scene he'd drawn. She ran her hand across it gently so as not to smear the lines he'd drawn.

She knew he was good, but even for a rushed job this was fantastic.

He'd drawn his room, from a higher perspective but she could still tell it was his room. The bed tucked almost against the corner and his small dresser against the wall. The light filtered in from the large windows above it and landed on the faceless couple that were wrapped up together in the bed, covers slightly askew, their arms wrapped around each other tightly.

She didn't question who they were. It was obvious the male was Neal but she couldn't decide if the female was herself or Kate. They did both look quite alike, Maddie's hair was black and Neal had said Kate's was brown but you couldn't tell when the picture was drawn in all black and white. And Kate had blue eyes while Maddie had brown but the couple in the drawing weren't' drawn with facial features so she didn't know. She had to guess that Neal probably didn't know either and he wasn't going to tell her if he did so she let it go.

"Thank you for doing that for me." She said, leaning up to kiss him. He shrugged and glanced at the clock.

"We should get to sleep." He said.

She looked up at the clock herself and had to agree, it was past eleven and they hadn't even realized it. Plus the work week started up again tomorrow and Neal had to be to work by seven so she knew they both needed sleep.

She waited for Neal to get ready before she decided where she would sleep tonight. She didn't feel like asking and she could tell Neal was in one of his quiet moods where he didn't talk much, for whatever reason so she waited around until he entered the small bedroom.

He lay down on his side and pulled the covers back for her to slide in. She let a small smile slip onto her face and lay down next to him. He pulled her in close and she buried her face in the crook of his neck as he kissed her hair lightly.

"You're upset." She said quietly. She felt him sigh and shake his head.

"I am not upset, just, stressed." He said.

"About what?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing, just, work stuff." He said, brushing off her worry. He saw the concern in her eyes though, but he couldn't tell her.

He cupped her cheek with his hand and brought his lips to hers, kissing her sweetly.

"You know I'd do anything for you right?" He asked, as he let his lips linger on her forehead.

"Neal is something wrong?" She asked, looking into his blue eyes.

"You've been saying things like that for two nights now, what aren't you telling me?" She asked. He shook his head.

"Nothing, I just want you to know." He said.  
"I do, but you're worrying me." She admitted. He sighed.  
"I am sorry." He said, moving his hand to rest on her cheek again.

"I didn't want to upset you; I just wanted you to know." He said. She nodded slowly and moved her own hand up to rest on his cheek.

"I know, and I love you too, and I'd do anything for you too. I promise." She said. He nodded and kissed her again.

"I love you too." He whispered. She couldn't really see him in the dark but she knew his eyes were reflecting a serious struggle right now, she could hear it in his voice as well. There was still something he wasn't telling her. She began to speak again but he covered her mouth with his, kissing her sweetly and passionately and with the feeling that this could be the last time, a feeling Maddie didn't like, nor did she understand.

She wanted to say something else but she was tired and they both needed rest. She moved her head back against the crook of his neck and she felt him kiss her hair gently and whisper that he loved her as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around her.

"I love you too." She mumbled against his neck, planting a quick kiss there to reassure him.

She slept fine that night, tucked in close to Neal.

Neal only wished he slept half that well, if he'd thought his dreams about Kate were bad it was because he hadn't seen what horrors his mind could create when Maddie and whoever these mystery people were, were involved.

He held her close through the night, her breathing reassurance that she was still with him, he never fell asleep until early morning.

**Alright, so I know this one is maybe a bit short, and the next few may be as well but I promise there all leading up to something quite big so don't worry. **

**Keep those reviews comming, you know i love um! thanks for reading everyone, the next chapter should be up soon!**

**~Tara~**


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay next chapter, I am actually making good time here! Enjoy!**

Maddie woke up early the next morning; she'd heard Neal shuffling around as he got ready for work. She rolled over to watch him at the mirror as he fixed the tie around his neck.

"Crooked." She said when he turned away from the mirror. He smiled to himself and turned to face her.

"It is not." He said. She laughed and called him over, she sat up and reached for his tie, moving it just enough so that he'd think she was right, really the tie was fine.

"Better." She said with a smile.

"You didn't move it." He said knowingly. She rolled her eyes.

"For once, you should pretend not to notice things." She said, he smiled and shrugged.

"Besides, if I didn't try to fix your tie I couldn't have done this." She said, pulling him close to give him a kiss.

"So can you pretend I fixed your tie?" She asked. He smirked and leaned back in for another kiss.

"It looks lovely, thank you." He said. Maddie smiled and lay back down.

"Tell Peter I say hello." She called as he walked to the door.

"I'll tell him you say something like 'stop bringing Neal fatty pastries for breakfast every day'." He said with a smile. She laughed and pulled the covers up over her face.

"Yes Neal because you're so fat." She called jokingly.

"I will be if I keep eating the junk your uncle brings me for breakfast." He said back.

"Goodbye." Maddie called.

"I'll see you tonight." He said, closing the door behind him.

Maddie smiled and continued to laugh for a few minutes before finally pulling herself out of bed to make breakfast of her own.

It wasn't long after she'd finished that there was a knock on the door. She walked over quickly, assuming it was June and pulled the door open.

"Morning Maddie." Mozzie said, walking into the apartment.

"What're you doing here Moz?" she asked, closing the door and walking back into the kitchen.

"I had a few things to work on." He said, sitting himself down at the kitchen table.

"And you had to come here to do them?" She questioned.

"Neal's place has a very creative feng shui to it. I work better here." He said. Maddie rolled her eyes but accepted the answer.

The day was spent with light conversation between the two of them.

Maddie didn't have anywhere to go until later when she'd take Neal out to see the house and then she had art class. She spent most of the day finishing up a few projects while Mozzie worked on whatever he was working on in the kitchen.

It was a quiet day but neither seemed to mind, to invested in what they were doing to converse with each other.

Maddie tried to ask Mozzie about what he was working on but he simply said it was a matter of great importance and he couldn't talk about it with anyone. So she left him go and kept working on her own project.

Neal was home around five and Mozzie packed up his things and left.

"Have a good day?" Neal asked.

"A weird one, Mozzie spent the whole day here working on something of 'great importance' that he couldn't talk about." Maddie said. Neal shrugged.

"Mozzie hangs out here a lot, most of the time I just ignore him." He said with a smile

"I try not to ignore him but he didn't want to talk so just went about my business." She explained. Neal nodded.

"Well, we can go see the house now, if you're ready?" She asked.

"Sure." Neal said, opening the door for her.

They took a cab to a neighborhood near where Peter and Elizabeth lived. It dropped them off in front of a small brownstone apartment. Neal smiled.

"Looks nice on the outside." He commented.

Maddie fished around in her purse for a few seconds, pulling out what looked like a credit card.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Kind of like a pass key, the realtor company gives them to all interested buyers, that way if they want to come see the house for themselves they can still get in." Maddie said, she walked up to the door and swiped the key on a large gray box that hung from the doorknob. The door opened and Neal followed Maddie inside.

"Wow, it's great." He said, looking around.

There was a large room in the front that he assumed would serve as a living room. The kitchen was in the back, big enough for two people to fit in, with a small dining room off of that. There was also a small room on the side of the living room.

"I'd do my drawing here." She said.

"Perfect lighting." Neal commented.

"Well I'd add indoor lights but yes the natural light is very good." She agreed.

She took him up the stairs then, which brought them to a small bedroom and a bathroom down the hallway.  
"It's perfect." She said as they walked back downstairs.

"But this other guy is still trying to get it from you?" He asked.

"Yeah, I mean I'd only pay a little over three hundred for rent but he says he's willing to pay triple that amount if necessary." She said, shaking her head.  
"I just can't afford that." She finished quietly.

Neal wrapped her in a hug, his cell phone quickly interrupting the moment. He pulled it out and read that Peter was on the other end.

"I'll be right back." He said, stepping outside.

"Yeah Peter what's up?" he said.

"Diana got a hit on the guy who wants the money from David." He said.

"Okay, who is it."

"Guy named Richard Lease." He said.

"Alright, I'll get Mozzie to check with people he knows; see what this Richard guy's been up to." Neal said.

"Sounds good, let me know."

Neal hung up and slipped the cell phone back in his pocket. He turned back around to glance at the house and noticed another man walking into it. He was tall, with dark hair and a mustache, Neal assumed this was the guy trying to buy the apartment out from under Maddie.

He walked slowly up to the house, fully intending to have a little talk with this man but Maddie walked out before he got the chance.

She smiled at him and wrapped her arm around his.

"What'd Peter want?" She asked.

"Just work stuff, who was that guy?" He asked, turning back around to where the man once stood.

"The ass that's upping the price." She said.

"What's his name?" Neal questioned. Maddie thought for a while.

"I am not sure, Rich or Richard, something." She said.

Neal let the thought linger, it could be a coincidence, really there were bound to be hundreds of people in New York City named Richard but something about the guy just didn't look right. He shrugged the thought off for now, catching a cab that would take Maddie and himself back into the city.

She started collecting things for her art class right away, made herself a quick dinner and then slipped out the door, calling out a goodbye to Neal on the way.

He watched her leave and made sure the agent who'd been watching the house followed her, and he did. When he was sure she'd be okay he pulled his cell phone out and dialed quickly.

"Hello."

"Hey Moz, are you in the area, I need to talk to you." Neal said,

"I'll be up in a few seconds." He said, and then hung up.

Neal pored two glasses of wine, knowing Mozzie would want something to drink, he always did.

Neal opened the door for him a few seconds later.

"Where were you at?" He asked as Mozzie entered.

"Outside, I've been making sure that agent isn't slacking off." He explained, picking up the glass of wine Neal left him.

"Okay, listen. So Maddie took me to see the house she's looking to buy today." Neal started.

"I don't see how this is of dire importance?" Mozzie commented.

"Listen, while we were there the other guy wanting to rent out the house showed up." He continued.

"I am not doing anything illegal." Mozzie interrupted.

"I don't want you to, just listen." Neal said, frustrated.

"This guy's been jacking up the price he'll pay to unreasonable levels. Today I asked Maddie who he was; she said his name was Richard. Peter had just called me to let me know that the guy wanting money from David, his name is Richard Lease." Neal explained. Mozzie nodded and sipped his wine.

"Coincidental?" He offered.

"Maybe, but something just seemed off about the guy. I mean the people renting out the apartment are only asking Maddie pay three hundred in rent, but this guy says he'll pay triple, why?" Neal said.

"Is there something important about the house?" Mozzie asked.

"No, that's the thing, I saw it, and it's just a house, nothing special." He said

"Maybe you should ask your suit to look into it." Mozzie said.

"No, if it is the same guy it could cause a whole mess, I'll just let it go. Keep an eye on Maddie; she hasn't said anything about another meeting with the realtor this week so she should be fine." Neal said. Mozzie finished off his drink and nodded.

"If you think that's best." He said

"It's the only way to keep Maddie un informed, if I tell Peter and it is the same guy, then she's gonna know when something mysterious happens to the other buyer." Neal explained.

"This is true." Mozzie agreed.

"Just keep watching Maddie, make sure she stays safe." Neal said, Mozzie nodded.

"And keep me informed on anything else about this Richard guy, I'll talk to some people, see if there's any word on the street about him, I'll let you know if I come up with anything." Mozzie said.

"Thanks Moz." Neal said as he walked to the door.

"No Problem." He said, waving a quick goodbye and then leaving.

Neal sighed and glanced at the clock, Maddie would be back soon, if he wanted to call Peter about this other Richard he'd have to do it now. Really he just didn't think it was a good idea. He was trying to keep Maddie as uninformed as he could and this would clue her in big time. Plus if it was the same man the second he got tipped off that the FBI was looking into him he'd either run or try and hurt someone and Neal wouldn't let that happen. No, for now he'd keep this from Peter, it was better this way.

Maddie came home exhausted but with a new project for the week.

"Please Neal, just one drawing." She asked as he lay down in bed.

"Not now." He said, reaching for her hand.

"No, not now but sometime?" She asked, letting him pull her into bed with him. He sighed and looked into her eyes.

"Later." He said, she smiled and kissed him.

"Why do you wanna draw me?" he asked, pulling her in close.

"Wouldn't someone like Mozzie be much more interesting?"

"If its good enough it'll go on display, I don't think Mozzie wants that kind of recognition." She commented, Neal nodded.

"True." He said

"So if you draw me well enough it could be displayed somewhere?" He asked.

"There's a big showcase at the end of the year, it'd be shown during that. Why, you don't want your face to be seen either?" She sighed.

"This is what I get for having criminals as best friends." She said. Neal rolled his eyes and kissed her.

"Mozzie isn't exactly a criminal, and I am a reformed con man." He corrected her. She smiled up at him.

"So it's okay then?" He sighed; but pulled her in closer, resting his lips against her forehead.

"Yes it's fine." He said, kissing her hair lightly. She smiled at her victory.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Get some sleep." He said, leaning down to give her another kiss. She smiled and slowly let her eyes drift shut.

**Alright, I promise all this is leading up to something! I may start stretching out times between chapters, as I want the Christmas one to be right on cue, so I still have to figure out when I am gonna post the next few so they may be stretched out or they may come very quickly, it depends on timing. Anyway, send in some reviews, you know I love um! thanks for reading!**

**~Tara~**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23, here we go!**

Neal was up long before Maddie the next morning. After a few failed attempts at trying to go back to sleep he finally gave up around five in the morning, knowing he'd have to get up in about an hour anyway. So until then he lay still, holding Maddie close and stroking her hair gently, taking in her sleeping form.

He hadn't slept well, the thought that this Richard person could potentially be known by Maddie was something he didn't want to think about. He struggled all night with whether he should inform Peter or not, but he just kept coming up with the same answer. To keep Maddie safe, I can't say anything. He tried so hard to justify his decision. He knew for a fact that if the Richard they were going after and the Richard Maddie knew were the same person, he'd fly into a panic if he found out the FBI was looking into him. And if he did, Neal would not let the first person he'd go after be Maddie, he just wouldn't. No, he'd wait to get word from Richard that he wanted to meet and then he'd follow through with the plan. Unlock the anklet, hand over the money and the wait as Richard was taken in. It had to be this way; it was the only way to keep Maddie safe.

He leaned down close to her, rested his head against hers and closed his eyes. He promised to protect her; he couldn't do it the last time so he'd make damn sure he did this time. He wouldn't put her in danger again.

Eventually he had to get up, he moved about the apartment as quietly as he could so as not to wake Maddie. He wrote her a quick note which he laid on the pillow next to her head, gave her a quick kiss goodbye and then headed downstairs.

Maddie sensed he was gone, the bed seemed colder, and the familiar arms that were always lightly wrapped around her weren't there. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times to adjust to the light that was filtering in above her head, and then looked around. The apartment was silent, signaling Maddie that Neal had already left for work. She sighed and turned to lie back down, smiling when she saw the paper flower that lay on the pillow next to her. She sat up and unfolded the note, smiling as Neal's handwriting appeared.

_Good Morning, _

_Hope you slept well, or at least better than me anyway but don't worry I am fine. _

_Anyway, Mozzie said he'd be over later, apparently he wants to finish up whatever he's working on. If you'd rather not enjoy his presence I am sure June could use someone to talk to, she's probably packing for her trip upstate but I don't think she'd mind the company._

_I'll tell Peter you said hello and that we're getting into all kinds of trouble together…just kidding. _

_Have a good day; I'll talk to you tonight. _

_XOXO,_

_Neal_

She smiled to herself and folded the note back up. There wasn't much point in trying to go back to sleep so instead she slipped out of the bed, grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom.

Mozzie was at the door when she emerged a while later and she pulled it open quickly, her hair still a bit damp.

"Sorry Mozzie." She said, standing aside to let her in.

"It's no problem, I keep telling Neal I need a key to this place." He commented.

"Usually he doesn't lock the door." Maddie observed.

"Oh." Mozzie said, understanding why Neal would have locked the door.

"I am sure he wasn't even thinking about it this morning, probably a force of habit type thing, you know how he likes to keep things locked up." He said, then retraced his steps.

"Not that he wants to keep you locked up; I am sure but-"  
"I get it Moz." She said, he took a deep sigh of relief and turned back to the kitchen.

"Have you eaten yet, I was just about to make breakfast." She asked.

"You don't have to trouble yourself with making anything for me." He said, setting up his things on the table.

"No, I don't, but it'll keep me out of your hair longer." She said, and then smiled. "So to speak."

He laughed and nodded.

"Yes I suppose it would. Then yes I'd love some breakfast." He said with a smile. She got to work on making them both omelets and sat his down in front of him when she finished, taking the seat next to his.

"So you really can't tell me what this is about?" She asked, glancing at what he had on the table.

"It's just something Neal asked me to work on." He told her.

"About Kate?" She asked, Mozzie stared at her for a few seconds then sighed.

"Yes, but it's nothing you need to worry about." He said. Maddie nodded.

"What is it?" She questioned.

"It's just information." He answered.

"He's trying to find out who killed her?" She guessed, Mozzie nodded.

"But I shouldn't be telling you any of this so-"  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Maddie finished for him. He smiled and nodded.

"You know if you weren't on the good side of the law, you'd make one hell of a good con artist." He commented, getting back to his work. She smiled and collected his plate.

"Thanks Moz."

She spent the morning in Neal's apartment, cleaning up and putting away laundry that June had brought up the night before, Mozzie continued to work but by lunchtime Maddie needed some other form of entertainment.  
"I am gonna go see what June's up to." She said. Mozzie glanced her way but decided it was okay for her to go.  
"Alright." He said, going right back to his work. Maddie smiled and shut the door quietly behind her.

Neal was right; June was packing things for her trip upstate. She told Maddie how every year around the holidays she flew upstate to visit relatives and that she'd be leaving in a few days. Maddie offered her help and listened to June talk about grandchildren and the stories from previous get togethers. She smiled as she listened, it sounded like June certainly loved her family.

"Evening ladies." Neal said as he entered the living room.

"How was work dear?" June asked.

"Alright, not a lot going on." He said.

"Well that's good, gives you some time to relax." She said with a smile. Maddie stood and joined him at the stairs.

"You're all packed?" he asked.

"I am, and ready to go. You sure you'll be okay without me for a few weeks?" She said with a knowing smile.

"It'll be hard but I think I'll manage okay." He said, smiling back. She laughed and waved them off.  
"Goodnight you two." She said. They offered a goodnight back and headed upstairs.

Mozzie was collecting his things when they entered and Neal called him out in the hallway with him after he was done.

"Anything?" Mozzie asked.

"Peter had his agents send out word that I would give Richard what he wanted if he promised to leave us alone." He told Mozzie.

"And?"

"And he's up for it. He called me today to arrange a meeting, and requested that I be able to get out of my anklet." He explained.

"Which was part of the plan anyway." Mozzie commented, Neal nodded.

"So when is this meeting?"

"Tomorrow morning." He said.

"And if all goes as planned?"  
"I walk in, unlock my anklet, hand Richard the money, then the agents arrest him." He said.

"That simple." Mozzie said.  
"I hope."

"Alright, well get some sleep, I'll be here tomorrow. Good luck." He said, slinging his bag over his shoulder and patting Neal on the back.

"Thanks Moz." He said, Mozzie waved him off, but Neal smiled knowing that Mozzie was more than happy to help every now and then.

"You have a good day?" Neal asked as he entered the apartment.

Maddie was already making dinner and Neal joined her at the kitchen.

"Yeah, June told me all about her family and how they get together over the holidays." She said, a smile on her face.

"Sounds nice." He said, helping her prepare the meal.

"Yeah." She said quietly.

Neal didn't know much about her family life, other than the little he told her about her dad being shot when she was sixteen. She said something then about her mother and her fighting but he didn't know how frequent a thing that was. He knew she was an only child but other than that she hadn't told him much, and he didn't blame her. Some people liked to keep family life to themselves, he did.

He finished helping her make dinner and they ate with quiet conversation. Maddie asked about work but Neal didn't say much and so she didn't press.

By the end of the night she was wrapped up again in the warmth of his arms. He held her differently tonight; she could tell something was off.

"Neal, you're sure everything's alright?" She asked, kissing his neck before looking up into his eyes.

"Yeah, everything's fine, why?" he asked.

"You just seem, I don't know, stressed." She said.

"Just a lot to think about." He said.

"You told June there wasn't a lot going on at work." She commented, he didn't answer for a few seconds and she figured she caught him in whatever story he was spinning for her.

"Nothing's wrong Maddie." He said.

"You said you wouldn't lie to me." She told him.

"I am not lying."  
"Well you're not telling me the truth; something's bothering you, why can't you tell me?" She asked, He sighed and took her face in his hands.

"It's not for you to know right now. But I promise you everything is gonna be fine." He said. She looked into his eyes and saw a bit of clarity for the first time in a few days so she nodded.

"Alright."

He pulled her in close and kissed her, she kissed him back, still feeling like this was some strange misguided way of saying goodbye but she let it slide, trying to trust what he was saying, that everything was going to be okay.

"I love you." He said, looking into her eyes. She smiled slightly and kissed him.

"I know." She said,

"I love you too."

She leaned back into his embrace and let him wrap his arms snugly around her. Very slowly she drifted off to sleep.

**Okay so I've pretty much mapped everything out and for me to get the Christmas chapter up in time will mean posting a new chapter every other day, so I am going to try and hold true to that but I've got a busy week lined up so if I don't I'll try and get um posted when I can. Keep sending in those reviews, you know I love hearing about what you all think! thanks!**

**~Tara~**


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay so this is a long one I know, but this is what it's been leading up to. I'll say again that I am really bad at writing 'crime drama' so please don't fault me for the lack of 'crime like knowledge' I am just going off of what I wanted to happen, if it's accurate or not I don't know but, this is the way it'll go. Enjoy!**

Neal lay in bed for a long time that morning, millions of thoughts running through his head. This had to go okay today, he'd do what he was told and nothing more, everything would be okay. He glanced down at Maddie and sighed, he would keep her safe, no matter what.

Six o'clock came and Neal regrettably slipped out of bed to get ready for work. Maddie was awake when he came out of the bathroom a while later.

"Morning," she said quietly, still a bit sleepy. He smiled and walked over to give her a quick kiss.

"Good moring,"

He finished getting ready and then walked over to the bed, sitting down next to Maddie.

"Mozzie's coming in today," He told her. She sighed but smiled.

"And June's leaving tonight so she'll probably be getting stuff ready all day," He continued. She nodded and watched has he picked her hand up to hold it in his.

"I'll be back around five," he assured her.

" Okay."

She could tell something was off; he seemed worried, or preoccupied, something. She smiled up at him and gave him a kiss.

"I'll see you then." She said. He smiled and nodded, standing up and leaving for work.

She sighed and leaned back against the head board of the bed. Yes something was off; she'd have to have a serious conversation with Neal tonight.

Peter was waiting for Neal as he walked into the bureau that morning.

"You ready?" he asked, Neal sighed but nodded, there wasn't any backing out now.

"Meetings in a few hours so were gonna head out, get everything ready." Peter said, filing out of the doors with Jones and Diana in tow. Neal followed, convincing himself yet again, that everything would be okay.

"You understand what to do?" Peter asked as he handed Neal the key to his anklet.

"Yep." He said casually, slipping the key into his pocket and picking up the briefcase full of money.

"I'll see ya soon." He said with a wink as he left the van.

Peter sighed and sat down in front of a monitor, next to Jones and Diana who were already cuing up Neal's signal.

"Hear me okay?" Came Neal's voice over the speaker.

"Great, just focus okay Neal." Peter warned him.

"Don't sound so worried Peter, it'll be fine." He said, re assuring himself more than Peter at the moment. The line went silent after that. They could hear Neal knock on the door to the warehouse and someone came to open it.

"Caffrey right?" Came a voice.

"You must be Richard." Neal said, the man didn't answer.

"I believe you have something for me." He said instead.

"I do."  
"Anklet first or there's no deal." Richard said.

Peter watched the screen carefully as Neal's tracking signal went dark.

"Good, now you come with us." Richard said. Two other men started gathering up items and then leading Neal over to a black car.

Peter heard things being moved around and eventually engines starting up.

"If he goes out of range we can't track him." Jones said, Peter struggled with what to do next.

"He'll still be recording though, Neal knows what we need to take him down, he'll know we can't track him if he goes too far out of range." Peter mused.

"So should we let him go?" Diana asked.

Peter sighed.

"No, we'll follow the signal, give um a good head start but stay close enough that we don't lose um." He decided.

They followed closely behind, tracking Richard until they reached an old apartment complex.

"Now, the money." Richard said.

Neal handed over the briefcase and Richard opened it, checking the contents.

"That's it?" Neal asked. Richard sighed.

"Why is it I don't believe you came alone." He said

"I don't think I've given you reason not to." Neal answered, playing it cool

"Really, then how would your friends in the van over there feel if I just shot you now?" Richard said, pulling a gun from his belt. Neal tensed but tried not to let it show.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He lied.  
"So you don't know what I am talking about when I say that I can take your girlfriend out, just one push of this button Neal, very easy, and 'boom' no more Maddie." He threatened. Neal took a deep breath, forcing all the memories of Kate away.  
"You leave Maddie alone." He said.

"Oh I will, but you're going to help me with a few things first, we'll have a little fun." Richard said, a sick smile twisting onto his face.

"What do you want?" Neal asked.

"First, tell your little FBI friends who are listening in a little something."

"What?"

Peter, Jones and Diana listened helplessly to a loud slap, followed by a soft groan from Neal and then sounds of paper shuffling.

"Peter, listen to me very carefully." Neal said.

"Don't follow me, they've got guns and they'll use them." Peter sighed and watched Neal's tracker move further away as Richard drove off.

"Second, don't bother trying to trace the money; they won't be using it anytime soon." He said, the audio was getting worse as he went further out of range.

"And third," he paused and Peter could tell he was thinking.  
"Tell Maddie I love her, tell her I am sorry, and tell her." He paused again and Peter waited, hoping the device wouldn't cut out but nothing ever came, the signal went silent.

"Get to that location as quick as you can, see if he tossed the recorder. If he said anything else we may not have gotten it here but it could have been recorded." Peter said.

Walking back into the bureau without Neal was not something Peter wanted to do. It was supposed to be easy, but Peter had made the mistake of following Neal and now he was gone. He sat at his desk for a few hours, going over files and information but he couldn't focus. After a while Diana knocked softly on the door.

"We found it." She said, holding up the slightly mangled recording device.

"The tech guys are gonna get started on it right away, they said it should only take a few hours." She explained.

"Thank you Diana." Peter said, she nodded and left the office. Peter sighed and pulled out his phone, dialing quickly.

"Suit." Mozzie answered.

"Is Maddie okay?" Peter asked.

"Yeah sure, she's fine." He answered.

"I need to talk to you in private, can we meet somewhere?" He asked, slightly scared of the answer.

"I know just the place." Mozzie said.

So a half hour later Peter found himself at an empty chess table in the park. Mozzie soon joined him, a hat and sunglasses on even though it wasn't bright out.

"Maddie's with June." He assured Peter.  
"How'd it go?"  
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Peter said.

"Where's Neal?" Mozzie asked.

"Things didn't go the way we planned." He said simply, Mozzie's eyes grew large.

"Richards men took him." He finished.

For once Mozzie didn't have a smart remark.

"What can I do?" He asked.

"For right now, just keep looking after Maddie, I'll be by later tonight to let her know." Peter said, Mozzie nodded.

"Were doing everything we can Moz, trust me." He said.

"I have to get back." He said quietly, then stood and left.

Peter sighed and made his way back to the office, deciding to skip lunch.

Diana walked up to him as he entered the office.

"Tech is just about done with the recorder." She informed him

"Thank you let me know when they've finished." He asked. She nodded and headed back to supervise the work

They had knocked him out, really it only took a few punches and he just let his body succumb to darkness. Now he was being woken up, pulled into an open room by two men.

"So here's the deal Caffrey." Richard said, coming to stand in front of him.

"You help me get the papers I need to disappear, and you get to leave." He said.

"And if I say no?" Neal asked. This earned him a fist to the face by one of Richard's men.

"I wouldn't say no." He informed him, a smile coming across his face.

"I'll get you want I can." Neal told them.

"Good choice."

"Now, first things first, I'll need a new identity." Richard said.

"I've always liked the name Andrew, what do you think?" he asked.

"Obscure." Neal said, Richard nodded.

"You and Sam are gonna go get me some ID papers, and then we'll worry about how I am gonna leave." He said.

The large man grabbed Neal's arm and pulled him outside to the car.

The day went by slowly and Peter felt beyond helpless. It frustrated him that Neal was gone and he didn't even want to think of what Maddie's reaction would be.

It was a little after three when he decided to call Elizabeth and fill her in.

"Hey hon." She said, her voice brightening Peter's mood a bit.

"Hey, how's work?" He asked.

"Oh you know very interesting." She said with a laugh.

"What about you, how'd things go?" She asked. Peter sighed.

"Not to well." He admitted.

"What happened?" she asked.

"They took Neal." She gasped.

"Are you looking for him?" She asked, sadness in her voice.

"We've been tracking leads all day but these guys cover their tracks pretty well." Peter explained.

"What about Maddie?" She asked.

"She's okay, I am gonna stop by to talk to her on the way home." He said. Elizabeth sighed.

"Okay, let her know I am here for her." She said, her voice flat.

"I will." He said.  
"I love you El."  
"Love you too."  
He sighed as he hung up and rested his face in his hands for a few seconds.

"Boss?" Diana called from the door.

"Yeah." He answered, lifting his head to see her.

"Tech is finished with the recording, you're gonna want to hear this." She said, turning to leave the room.

After taking Sam to see one of Neal's go-to ID guys, they returned to the house and Neal handed over everything Richard would need to start over again.  
"Very good, now, I'll need my ticket out of here." Richard said.

"You want me to forge a plane ticket?" He asked.

"Can't be that hard." Richard commented.

"It'll take a few days." Neal responded.

"No, I don't think it will." Richard threatened

Neal began to protest but was stopped by a punch to his gut, one more bruise to add to the list.

"You complain, that's what happens." Richard explained, leading him to a small room.

"You understand what to do?" he asked, Neal nodded, still trying to get his breath back.  
"Good." Richard said, and then left the room.

Neal sat down at the small desk and wiped at his forehead, his hand pulling away to reveal dried blood and sweat. He sighed and started to work.

Peter stood in the tech room with the rest of his team.

"What do you think it means?" Diana asked. Peter sighed and shook his head.

"I have no idea." He said.

"Neal did direct it to Maddie, maybe she knows." Jones said.

"Make me a copy." Peter said to one of the tech workers, he nodded and set to work.

"It's getting late, why don't you guys head home; I'll call you if we get anything." He said.

Diana and Jones nodded, leaving Peter to wait for the recording copy.

Neal should have felt lucky they were letting him sleep at all. But at the moment all he really felt was pain. Whoever the goons were that were working with Richard, they were real hard asses, and got some sick kind of thrill out of beating him as hard as they could. At the moment he head was killing him and he was sure he'd have at least one black eye by morning. His ribs were sore and the cut on his arm hurt more and more every minute.

He tried to push it away, knowing he needed sleep. He conjured up an image of Maddie, let the warmth of her smile and the fact that he knew she was okay, allow him to drift into a light sleep.

Peter drove to June's house in silence; he'd been dreading this moment all day. Maddie would take this one of two ways. One, she'd be extremely sad, there'd be tears and crying. Or two, she'd be extremely pissed off. Really he couldn't blame her for either reaction. He knocked on the front door and was led inside by one of June's housekeepers. He found June sitting in the living room and he approached her slowly.

"Peter." She said, turning to face him.  
"You look upset what happened?" She asked.

He explained the situation and June was in shock by the end, a few tears threatening to fall from her eyes.  
"Does Maddie know?" She asked quietly.

"No, I was just on my way up to tell her, I was wondering-"  
"I'll go with you." June said, standing up and walking to the stairs.

Peter followed her and took a deep breath as he entered Neal's apartment.  
Maddie was lounging on Neal's bed; book in hand, while Mozzie sat on the sofa sipping wine nervously.

"Hey Peter, June." Maddie said, smiling. She set her book down and crossed the room to give her Uncle a hug. He held her tight and sighed.

"Maddie, we need to talk." He whispered. She looked up at him quickly, worry flashing in her eyes, and then she glanced around him as if waiting.

"Where's Neal?" She asked when no one else entered the room.

Peter led Maddie over to the sofa, relocating Mozzie to a char as Maddie sat down with June beside her.

"Peter what's going on?" She asked, sensing the tension in the room. Peter took a deep breath and began.  
"A few days ago Mozzie and Neal showed me some files. Apparently David owed some important people some money and they contacted him in jail asking for it."  
Maddie listened intently.

"Neal didn't want you to worry so he never told you, but these people weren't gonna take no for an answer."  
Now Maddie understood the uncertainty she'd been seeing in Neal the past few days.

"Neal knew they were dangerous and didn't want you involved so instead we worked together to put out word that Neal would give these men the money."  
Suddenly Maddie didn't like where this was going.

"The drop was this morning and everything was going fine, until they realized Neal wasn't alone." He said, Maddie's heart dropped her hand few up to her mouth in shock and June took the other one in her hand, holding it tightly.

"We couldn't follow them; they had guns they were threatening to use if we tailed them. I am sorry Maddie." He said.

The shock delayed her tears for a few seconds, but when the words 'Neal's been kidnapped' entered her brain the dam broke and she cried, hard.  
June pulled her into her embrace, Mozzie sat still, staring blankly and finally decided to do something he never did. He got up from his chair, walked over to sit on the armrest of the sofa and wrap an arm around Maddie's shoulder. She felt his presence and instantly grabbed his other hand in hers she squeezed lightly feeling something close to numbness and Mozzie gave a reassuring squeeze back.

"Maddie, there's something I need you to do for me." Peter said quietly. She sniffed a few times, pulled herself together and nodded.

"We need you to listen to this." He said, pulling the small recorder from his pocket.

"Tell me if there's something in there that sounds familiar." He said.

She nodded and he pushed play, knowing this wouldn't be easy.

"Peter, listen to me very carefully." Neal's voce said from the recorder. Maddie let out a sob but June warped her arm around her and Mozzie gave her hand another squeeze, telling her she could do this.

"Don't follow me, they've got guns and they'll use them." Neal said, Maddie let tars drop onto her lap.

"Second, don't bother trying to track the money; they won't be using it anytime soon." He said.

"And third." There was a pause and Maddie waited.

"Tell Maddie I love her, tell her I am sorry, tell her." There was another pause and Maddie let out another few sobs, as tears streamed down her face.

"Tell her eight twenty one is more important than she thinks." He said. The tape stopped and Maddie tried to hold herself together.

"Does that mean anything to you, eight twenty one?" Peter asked.

"I don't think so." She said, Peter nodded understanding she needed time.

"I'll let you keep this, if you think of anything let me know." He said. Maddie sobbed but nodded. Peter moved to sit on the coffee table in front of her.  
"Maddie if you need anything, El and I are just a phone call away." Maddie nodded and Peter pulled her into a quick hug before leaving. The second the door shut Maddie broke. June moved herself and Maddie over, giving Mozzie enough room to sit down on the other side of her. June held her close and Mozzie kept an arm wrapped around her, still holding her hand tightly in his.

They sat that way for a while until Maddie calmed down enough. June wrapped her in another tight hug and then told her she had to go. She was supposed to be catching a plane soon.  
She pulled Mozzie over and whispered to him quietly.

"She shouldn't be alone right now, there's another empty guest room down the hall, stay there until this is over, and I'll expect a call when things are resolved." She said. Mozzie nodded and June left.

He looked back to Maddie who was now holding the recorder on her lap, playing the tape again. He walked over to her slowly, turning it off and removing t from her hands.

"Not now." He said simply, and she didn't' protest.

Mozzie stayed with her past eleven o'clock when he finally persuaded her to get some rest. He left quietly and Maddie didn't even bother changing clothes, she simply slipped into Neal's bed, wrapped the sheets tight around herself, took in his sweet scent that lingered and cried herself to sleep.

**phew! so like I said it was a big one, lots of drama and craziness has ensued. don't worry though I won't leave you hanging, like I said before I'll be posting every other day so I can get the Christmas chapter up in time so you'll get the resolution in about a day!**

**Your reviews are more important than ever for this chapter, as it was a particulary tough one for me so I really want to know what you all thought of it! As I've said before, I usually don't beg for reviews, it's not my thing, but I really like to see that my story is getting love, and the only way I can see that is if you send reviews. Even if it's only two words it means the world to me because then I know that you all are enjoying it. So please, please, send in those reviews!**

**I love you all!**

**~Tara~**


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay, so yesterday night was kind of hectic so I didn't get to post then, so here's the new chapter now! Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews, I've been having a pretty tough week and they really made me feel so much better. I'll say at the beginning of this chapter that I also know nothing about hospital procedure, so if it's not accurate, sorry, just go with it! Enjoy!**

It was a rough night. Maddie slept very little, she tossed and turned all night, horrible nightmares waking her up when she did finally drift off to sleep. By four o'clock she was awake with no intention of trying to go back to sleep, she also had no intention of getting out of bed either. She rolled over on her side, pulled Neal's pillow close to her and let a fresh wave of tears come.

Mozzie waited until exactly six o'clock to call.

"We may have a problem Suit." Mozzie said.

"What?" Peter asked, sleep still evident in his voice.

"Maddie never slept, she's been crying for hours and has informed me that she's not leaving the bed." Mozzie told him.

"Alright, keep an eye on her; I think I have someone who'll get her moving." Peter said, and then hung up with a sigh.

It was a few more hours before anyone arrived at June's house and when they did Mozzie took them upstairs right away.

Elizabeth didn't bother knocking on the door; she simply opened it up and walked in. She noticed Maddie's form right away, curled around a pillow, the sheets wrapped around her at strange angles.

"Hey hon." She said, sitting down next to her niece.

"I don't wanna talk El." She said simply.

"Okay that's fine, but you can listen." Elizabeth said intent on getting Maddie out of bed.

"Peter thinks Neal was trying to send you a message, if we figure out what it is we'll find him." She explained.

Maddie didn't respond, just held onto the pillow tighter.

"You can't lie here all day Maddie; you know this isn't what Neal would want. We have to find him, you can do this." She said, placing a comforting hand on her back.

Maddie thought for a few minutes, finally realizing Elizabeth was right. She couldn't sit around; she had to help find Neal.

She sighed and sat up slowly.

"Okay." She said. Elizabeth smiled and walked with her over to the sofa.

"This is the tape they gave me; it's the last few things he said before they took him." Maddie explained, pushing through the emotions that threatened to spill over.

Elizabeth pushed play and let in run. Maddie listened closely, trying to hear anything that could lead them to him.

"This is the part they think was meant for me." She said.

"Tell her eight twenty one is more important than she thinks." Neal's voice said.

"Eight twenty one could be anything." She said, shaking her head.

"Well it has to be something you know." Elizabeth offered.

"So go through all the numbers that are important, that you keep track of." She continued.

"Like what?" Maddie asked, feeling hopeless.

"Like, birthdays, street numbers, social security, important dates, home addresses." Elizabeth suggested.

Maddie sat and thought, the numbers didn't fit any birthdays she knew, or bank account numbers. It wasn't part of her social security number and she didn't know anyone else's so that didn't work. She started going through street address and important dates.

If it was a date then it was sometime in August, according to the eight he said first, but she didn't know anything important that happened in August, at least nothing she could remember, and if she didn't know then there was no way Neal did.

Street addresses came up short as well and by this time she was starting to feel hopeless all over again.

The only thing left she could think of was house addresses. She started thinking of every place she'd ever been. Her old house, Peter and Elizabeth's house, even June's place and possible restaurants and stores they'd been to but nothing fit.

She sighed and ran her hands through her hair, running back over everything again. She was halfway through all the street and home addresses again when she froze.

"Oh my god." She whispered.

"What?" Elizabeth said.

Maddie jumped off the sofa and ran to her purse, digging around inside, trying to find what she was looking for.  
"Maddie what is it?" Elizabeth asked, coming to stand next to where she knelt on the floor.

"My house, the house I was gonna buy." She said, pulling a few papers out of her purse and frantically looking over it.

"This is it, look." She said, holding the papers up for Elizabeth to see.

"The address is one twenty eight. That's eight twenty one backwards." She said, panic slipping into her voice. Elizabeth nodded and pulled her cell phone from her pocket.

"I'll call Peter." She said, dialing as quickly as she could.

"He said there leaving now." Elizabeth said as she sat back down next to Maddie on the sofa. She glanced at her quickly and then continued wringing her hands together, trying desperately to stop them from shaking.  
"I have to go." Maddie said, starting to stand up.

"No, we stay here, wait for Peter to call." Elizabeth said, taking Maddie's hand in hers and forcing her to sit back down.

"It'll be okay." She said reassuringly, pulling Maddie into a tight hug.

It took far too long to get to the house, in Peters opinion. But eventually they found themselves approaching the small brownstone. SWAT led the pack, guns drawn and ready.

Peter found himself getting a horrible case of déjà vu, remembering just over a month ago he and Neal were going in to rescue Maddie.

The SWAT leaders gave out quick orders and in seconds the door was broken down and officers were swarming the house.

It was quiet for a while, just the sounds of agent's calling out to each other filling the air, and then Peter heard the gun go off.

Peter raced into the house, rushing past a few of his agents who had Richard in cuffs and were in the process of cuffing two other men, one who was watching as an agent ripped a gun out of his hand.

"Get the medic in here!" One of the officers called. Peter froze, Neal couldn't be dead.

He rushed into the small room and found Neal leaning against the wall, his hand holding the bullet wound on his shoulder.

He attempted a smile at Peter and a few medics came in, lifting him onto a stretcher.

"You like Maddie's new place?" Neal forced out. Peter smiled and shook his head, amazed that even though Neal was bleeding, had just been shot, and pretty badly beat up he could still be completely witty, as if none of this was a big deal.

"Yeah, great." He responded, following Neal out to the ambulance.

Elizabeth's cell phone rang and she picked it up quickly, Maddie looking at her through teary eyes.

"Hello?" She said, a bit of worry in her own voice, she sighed then and nodded.

"Okay, yeah." She said, Maddie couldn't tell from her voice if this was good news or bad news.

"Yeah I'll let her know, we'll be there soon." She said. Maddie thought that was relief but she wasn't sure. Elizabeth hung up and sighed again.  
"They got him." She said simply. Maddie nodded.

"And Neal?" She asked.

"They took him to the hospital, he was pretty beat up and they have to get him into surgery, he was shot in the shoulder, but Peter said other than that he seemed okay." She said. Maddie stared in shock at Elizabeth.

"It's okay Maddie, a shoulder wound is no big deal, Peter said the medics told him it really just looked like a graze, they just have to get him into surgery. If we hurry we can probably still see him. Now get your jacket, I told Peter we'd meet him at the hospital." Elizabeth said, standing up. Maddie rushed over to grab her jacket and purse and then followed Elizabeth out of the room and downstairs.

They caught a cab which took them to the hospital and they rushed over to Peter who they saw waiting at the desk.

"Where is he?" Maddie asked.

"You're here for Neal Caffrey?" The lady at the desk said, all three nodded.

"Family?" She questioned. Peter looked to the two women standing next to him and nodded.

"Yes, family." He said.

"Mr. Caffrey is about to be prepped for surgery." She stated, and then glanced at her watch.  
"He still has a few minutes until the room opens up; I can send one of you in to see him." She informed them.

Peter and Elizabeth both glanced at Maddie and nodded, understanding that she needed to see Neal now more than either of them did.

The lady at the front desk smiled and stood.

"He's right this way." She said, walking with Maddie down to Neal's room.

She entered slowly behind the nurse, somewhat scared of what she might see but the nurse turned back to her with a smile.

"He's okay." She whispered. So Maddie slowly entered the room, standing at the door and taking in Neal's figure on the bed.  
"I know he's not exactly in perfect health right now but everything besides the bullet wound and the gash on his arm is very minor and can be taken care of easily." She said. Maddie nodded and looked back to Neal. He looked extremely small and broken lying still on the bed, and she was reluctant to move any closer.

"Why isn't he in surgery now?" Maddie asked.

"The bullet wound on his shoulder is just a graze so he's okay to wait while we prep the surgery room, and the cut on his arm was bandaged in the ambulance and the bleeding has slowed. He hasn't lost a crucial amount of blood. The doctors work much better when they have time to prep, even the smallest amount of time." The nurse explained.

"You can talk to him if you like; the doctor will be in soon to prep him for the surgery." The nurse said with a smile and then she quietly left the room.

Maddie took a shaky breath and walked a bit closer to the bed, taking in the bruise on his face and the few small cuts she could see on his arms. His left shoulder was wrapped in gauze and Maddie assumed that's where the bullet wound was. His other arm was wrapped up as well, alerting Maddie that this was the arm with the gash on it.

She sat down slowly in the chair next to his bed and watched him breathing softly.

She wanted to talk to him, at least say something but she couldn't think to make a decent sentence, so instead she reached out and gently took his hand in her own.

Neal lay still for a few more seconds before he groaned in what sounded like pain and blinked his eyes open. He stared at the ceiling and then realized someone was holding his hand. He turned his head to the side and smiled.

"Hey." He said his voice quiet and coarse.

"Hi." She said back.

"You figured it out." He commented, trying his best to push out a smile.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"How do you feel?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Like crap right now, but I'll feel better later. Don't worry about me though, how are you?" He asked. She shrugged and he gave a small laugh that turned into a cough halfway through.

"Didn't sleep much last night did you?" He asked, she shook her head.  
"Not really."  
"Well neither did I so you're not alone there." He commented.

"I am sorry I worried you Maddie." He said, he tried to reach out a hand to touch her face but was stopped halfway through by a shooting pain that ran up his arm. He cursed and pulled his arm back quickly.

It took him a few seconds to calm down and get his breath back but she waited patiently.

"Are Peter and El here?" He asked.

"Yeah, there out in the waiting room. The nurse said she'd only send one person back so they let me go." She explained. Neal nodded.

"That's good. Tell them I am okay, let Peter know I'll be back to bugging him in no time." He said, making her smile. She leaned in closer, reaching her hand up to run her fingers through his hair gently.

"I really am sorry." He said again.

The door opened back up behind them and a doctor entered. She looked back to Neal and smiled.

"We'll talk about it later. I am just glad your okay." She said.

The doctor started taking things out of a kit, including a syringe which she assumed was filled with something to make Neal fall asleep. She took this as her cue to leave, so she leaned in, planted a quick kiss on Neal's lips and smiled.

"I'll see you soon." She said. Neal sighed and reached his arm out, pushing through the pain and resting his hand on her cheek.

"I love you." He said. She smiled and moved his arm back down on the bed.

"Love you too." She said quietly.

The doctor smiled at her as she stood up and left quietly, shutting the door behind her.

She made her way back out to the waiting room and was very surprised to find Mozzie sitting next to Elizabeth.

"I thought you hated hospitals." She said, sitting down on the other side of him.

"I do." He said quickly, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. Maddie smiled at him and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, understanding that if it wasn't for Neal, Mozzie wouldn't be here at all.

"Where's Peter?" She asked, glancing around.

"He stepped outside." Elizabeth answered, passing Mozzie a magazine.  
"I'll be back." Maddie said, making her way out of the hospital. She saw Peter sitting on a bench outside, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Coffee any better here?" She asked, sitting down next to him.

"No." He said simply, taking another sip and grimacing at the taste. Maddie smiled.

"You were worried about him." She said, more as a statement than a question. She knew Peter was worried about Neal but she also knew he'd never come right out and say as much. He nodded though and that was enough for her to understand.

"It's my fault it happened." He said, she looked at him with confusion written on her face. He sighed and began to explain.

"The drop was supposed to happen at a warehouse, that's where we set up. Neal went in; they asked him to lose the anklet, which was part of the plan. But Richard was smart, he knew that if the drop was bogus, which is was, The Feds would be in any minute to take him down because of the signal Neal's anklet sends when it's taken off. So they moved the location, put Neal in one of their cars and started off. I shouldn't have followed, Neal knew what we needed to take Richard down, I should of just let him go but,"

"You didn't trust him." Maddie finished for him.

"He'd been so hell bent on keeping you safe; I knew he wouldn't care what happened to him, as long as you were okay. I was worried he was gonna make some stupid decision so I followed him. But Richard made the van and everything was blown." He said.

"I wouldn't blame him if he never wanted to see me again; I made him have to go through all that because of a stupid decision on my part." Peter said. Maddie shook her head.

"You were just doing what any other FBI agent would have done, making sure things went okay. You wouldn't have known what would have gone down if you didn't follow. Maybe they already knew the drop was bogus, things could have ended a lot worse if you didn't trail them." Maddie said.

"And besides, Neal said he'd be right back to bugging you in no time. He's fine Peter, it's gonna be okay." Maddie said.

"Thank you Maddie." He said, smiling and wrapping her in a hug.

"I am sorry we had to put you through all that." He added. She shrugged.

"It's okay, I am alright now." She said with a small smile.

He nodded and sighed, taking another sip of his coffee.

"Let's get back inside." He said, tossing the cup in the trashcan as they went.

Peter and Maddie joined Elizabeth and Mozzie back in the waiting room. Peter sat on the other side of his wife and Maddie took her seat next to Mozzie.

"Is Neal okay?" Mozzie asked when she sat back down.

"He's alright. He's in surgery now for a bullet wound, which they said was pretty minor, and they have to stitch up a pretty nasty cut on his arm. He's quite beat up but you know Neal, he's always okay." She informed him. Mozzie nodded and took a deep breath.  
"Mozzie if you want to go home-" She started.

"No, no, I want to be here when he gets out." Mozzie said determination in his voice. Maddie smiled and took his hand in hers again.

"Thank you for watching out for me the past few days Mozzie." She said, understanding now why Mozzie had spent so much time in Neal's apartment the past few days. He nodded but didn't say anything. Maddie smiled again and leaned her head to the side so it rested comfortably on Mozzie's shoulder. He didn't tense up and that surprised her, she felt him look down at her and she knew he smiled, squeezing her hand in a silent 'you're welcome'.

**Okay so a somewhat happy ending for all, Neal is safe, a bit beat up and all that but he's alive! (you didn't really think I'd kill him did u?) Anyway, keep sending those wonderful reivews in, it was so great to hear from so many of you this time, I loved it! Thanks so much for reading, stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**~Tara~**


	26. Chapter 26

**Okay, so this is a short one but I felt it was important enough to be a chapter of it's own. so enjoy!**

They sat in the waiting room for what felt like forever. Eventually Maddie fell asleep, resting against Mozzie's shoulder and Mozzie then fell asleep himself, neither having got much sleep the night before. It was a while before a doctor came out into the waiting room and called the family of Mr. Caffrey.

Elizabeth had shaken Mozzie awake who in turn woke up Maddie and the four of them walked up to the doctor.

"Neal's out of surgery, the bullet wound was very minor and luckily it just grazed the outside of his shoulder so there weren't any broken bones. We were able to extract the few pieces of the bullet that had gotten lodged in the wound and stitch him back up nicely." He informed them. Maddie breathed a sigh of relief, as did Mozzie.

"He'll have to stay in the hospital for at least a week if not more so we can monitor how well the wound heals and make sure he's getting the proper care for it. I don't foresee any problems since it was really only a deep graze and no bones were affected but it's better that were safe than sorry." He said. The four nodded and the doctor continued.

"He'll be wearing a sling for a few months after but other than that he should be fine." The doctor said a smile on his face.

"Can we see him now?" Elizabeth asked.

"He's probably not awake right now but if you want to go in and sit with him that should be fine." He said, stepping back behind the desk to start on paperwork.  
The four of them started down the hall to Neal's room, Peter and Elizabeth stepped in first, Elizabeth sitting in a chair next to Neal's bed and Peter standing behind her. Maddie entered and began walking to the other side of the bed when she realized Mozzie wasn't behind her. She turned around to find him frozen at the door, not particularly looking at anything, just staring.

"Mozzie come on." She said, walking back to him.

"It's okay, you can do this." She took his hand in hers.

"He's alright Moz, it's gonna be okay, you can come in." She said quietly, but still Mozzie didn't move. She heard movement behind her and turned to find Neal with his eyes open staring at the door.

"Mozzie?" He asked, a bit confused at what he saw.

Mozzie looked over to Neal when he heard his name. Maddie glanced back to watch Mozzie slowly enter the room, his hand still wrapped tight around Maddie's he led her to Neal's bedside.

"You came into a hospital?" Neal asked his voice quiet. Mozzie nodded quickly.

"What was I gonna do just wait at home and go crazy not knowing what was going on?" He said. His voice was frantic but Maddie could tell there were a few tears he was trying to hold back.

"Besides, who else is gonna sit here and make sure these doctors don't pull anything funny on us." He continued. Neal smiled at him and reached his hand out in his direction. Mozzie glanced at it, unsure of what to do for a few seconds. Then he took his other hand, the one that wasn't holding tightly onto Maddie, and placed it gently into Neal's. Neal smiled again and gave Mozzie's hand a tight squeeze.

"Thank you Mozzie." He said, his eyes closing slowly before he drifted back off to sleep.

Maddie smiled as she watched Mozzie stare down at he and Neal's hands in what looked to be astonishment.  
Elizabeth and Peter were smiling also, knowing how much it meant to Neal that Mozzie was here.

Maddie extracted herself from Mozzie's grip for a few seconds to pull over another chair.

"You can sit down." She said, he glanced at her and then sat down in the chair, Neal's hand still in his. Maddie smiled and took a seat on the large windowsill, keeping an eye on Neal's breathing and watching Mozzie smile to himself.

**Honestly if I had to pick a favorite White Collar character to write, besides Neal, it would be Mozzie. he just has so many layers to him and you know that he really cares about Neal but you never really see it in physical form, that's why I loved writing this moment because it was something so different for him, but I thought after going through what Neal had been through, Mozzie would probably step out of his comfort zone to be there for Neal. **

**So I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always keep those reviews comming, they do make me so happy!**

**~Tara~**


	27. Chapter 27

**Okay so this is a day late, but that just means that you'll get one chapter today and another tomorrow!**

The next week went by slow, Maddie called June after they got out of the hospital that day and let her know what had happened. She was glad that everyone was okay and insisted on calling back tomorrow to talk to Neal, which she did.

It seemed to be quiet the conversation, at least on Neal's end anyway, but he was smiling the whole time and Maddie knew he took June's concern to heart.

Peter and Elizabeth came to visit every day, checking in on Maddie who was there when visiting hours began and stayed till they ended.

She stated the obvious and informed Neal that she wouldn't be purchasing the house, Neal protested, stating that it had 'character' now, Maddie laughed but insisted she'd find somewhere with a little less 'character'.  
Mozzie came by a few more times, Maddie had to persuade him the first time but after his second visit he seemed to take it a lot better and was more concerned about how Neal was holding up than what diseases he could catch.

By the end of the week the doctor said that Neal was allowed to be released. The wound was healing nicely and so long as the bandages were changed every day and Neal didn't use the arm for at least another week, it should heal completely.

Maddie was helping Neal get ready to leave the hospital when Peter came in.

"Ready to get going?" he asked as he leaned against the door smiling. Neal gave a heavy dramatic sigh.  
"Yes, they don't let me do anything here!" He said. Peter and Maddie laughed.

"Well don't expect me to let you do much more when you get home. The doctor said you shouldn't use your arm for at least a week." Maddie warned.

"So I can't use one arm, I am still allowed to use every other part of my body." He gave a sly smile to Maddie who quickly blushed and rolled her eyes.

"You're not conning me into letting you do things you shouldn't. I know better than that." She said, reaching an arm out to help Neal into the wheelchair they had given him.

"I can walk Maddie." He said, pointing in disgust at the wheelchair. Maddie looked to Peter who shrugged.

"If he thinks he can walk, I don't see the harm in it." He said. Maddie sighed but still reached out her arm to help Neal to stand.

He took a few wobbly steps forward but found his footing and smiled at Maddie who still held onto his arm.

"Let's go." He said, bright smile lighting up his face.

Peter helped Maddie walk him out to the car and they drove away from the hospital.

"Neal I said you're supposed to keep your hands off the buttons." Peter said angrily, swatting Neal's hand away from the dashboard consol for the fifth time as Maddie burst into laughter in the backseat.

"I am trying to find something." He argued.

"Not now." Peter threatened. Neal gave his best pout face but turned away from the consol, hands safely in his lap.

"How's Moz?" He asked, turning his head around to look at Maddie.

"Alright, he's very excited about you coming home today. He insisted on cleaning up your apartment and going out to buy you a few bottles of wine because he drank almost everything you had since he was so worried for the past week." She said. Neal smiled and laughed.

"Yeah, it's good to be going home." He said.

Maddie smiled at his reflection in the rear view mirror, she was very glad he was going home too.

Neal's apartment was just the way he left it, and he wasn't surprised to find it spotless, Mozzie had followed through on his promise to clean up.

"You'll be okay?" Peter asked Maddie as Neal walked around his apartment. Maddie glanced over to watch him examining the bottles of wine Mozzie left on the kitchen table.

"Yeah I'll be okay." She said. Peter nodded and sat the small bag of Neal's things down against the wall.

"Call if you need me." He said. Maddie nodded and gave him a quick hug.

"I will."

"I'll see you later Neal." Peter said. Neal turned around and smiled.

"See ya." He said.

Peter passed one last look to Maddie who nodded, and then he left, shutting the door softly behind him.

"Moz said welcome home and that he'd come to check in sometime tomorrow." Neal said, holding up the small note to show her.  
She nodded and walked over to stand in front of him.

"Happy to be back?" She said with a smile. He wrapped her in a one armed embrace, all he could manage at the moment, and held her close.

"Very happy." He said, pulling her in to kiss her.

She sighed contentedly, realizing how much she'd missed Neal's embrace. She felt him smile against her lips and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She smiled and laughed, reaching her hand up to cup Neal's face as she looked into his eyes.

"You're supposed to be resting." She scolded. He sighed but kept his smile.

"This is very relaxing." He said, pulling her back in for another kiss.

"Resting." She said again, poking him in the chest lightly for effect.

She made them dinner and they talked quietly, sipping some of the wine Mozzie had gotten.

Maddie insisted on cleaning by herself while Neal insisted on changing clothes by himself.

By the time Maddie had finished Neal had successfully changed pants but was a bit tangled in the t-shirt he was trying to take off.

He sat on his bed, frustrated that he couldn't do something as simple as taking off a shirt.

"Ready to ask for help yet?" Maddie asked a hint of humor in her voice. He sighed and nodded, not completely wanting to, but knowing he needed to.

She walked over from her spot in the kitchen and helped him slip the t-shirt over his head and put a clean one on in its place.

"How's the arm?" She asked, he shrugged.

"A bit stiff but it feels okay." He said, moving it around a bit

"The doctor said to try and move it little bit's at a time as often as you can." She said, moving to pick up a change of clothes for herself.

"Be back." And she slipped into the bathroom.

When she emerged a few minutes later the apartment was darkened and Neal was already lying in bed, on the opposite side from what he usually laid on but she assumed it was so he could still wrap at least one arm around her, even if the other didn't quite work.

His sling was off but he was still holding his arm close, trying not to move it to much. He smiled when she slid into bed next to him and wrapped his good arm around her, pulling her in close to him.

"Can I ask you something?" He said quietly.

"Sure."  
"You were mad at me for not telling you about Richard and everything, weren't you?" He asked.

"I was-" She thought about how to phrase this.

"When Peter told me what happened the only thing I felt was panic, and a lot of sadness." She said, Neal nodded and pulled her in tighter.

"I thought about it for a while and, yeah, I was, a bit frustrated maybe, not mad, I understand why you did it."

"You wanted to protect me and I understand that. I was a little upset that you didn't just tell me, that way I would have been better prepared if anything had happened but, I wasn't mad." She finished.

They lay in silence for a few moments. She closed her eyes, comforted by the warm embrace she was in.

"I love you." She whispered, kissing his shoulder and up to his neck lightly.

It felt strange, different to say that she loved him. They'd said it before but somehow it seemed different now, she didn't know why. She liked it, but she was a little scared of it.

"I love you too." He whispered back, kissing her hair lightly.

"Can I ask you something now?" She questioned, looking up into his eyes, he nodded.

"That picture you drew last week, when I asked if you could draw something for me." She started; he nodded, indicating that he knew what she meant.

"Who was in the picture with you?" She asked.

It was a pointless question really, and it didn't matter to her who it was but something about it had just been bugging her since he'd drawn it and she felt like she needed to know.

Neal didn't answer for a while and eventually Maddie just assumed he'd fallen asleep, so she closed her eyes herself, figuring if he brought it up tomorrow they'd talk and if not she'd just forget it.

She'd almost fallen asleep herself but Neal's words woke her up.

"You."  
He said simply.

Maddie smiled against his chest and she was pretty sure her stomach did a 180. She wasn't sure what she was feeling right now. It was something like a mixture of joy, fear, and love, and she wasn't sure which one was stronger.

Truthfully, she'd never really been in a relationship before. Sure there were a few boyfriends when she was in high school and she'd hooked up with a guy once at a bar when she was twenty one because that was a particularly bad year for her, but she'd never been in anything this serious before.

Neal loved her, or at least he said he did anyway, and somewhere deep inside she realized that she loved him back.

But there was a lot of fear there. Neal obviously still had feelings for Kate, even if he didn't want to admit that he did, but Maddie saw it, the times where he'd just blank out for a few seconds and she recognized the look in his eyes, it was the same one she saw in the graveyard a few weeks ago.

It was a horrible mix of feelings and suddenly she didn't quite know what to think.

She sighed and put the thoughts out of her mind. At the moment she was just happy to have Neal back with her, safe, where he belonged.

She'd missed sleeping in his embrace, she felt safe here and that was a feeling she didn't get often.

So she closed her eyes again, letting Neal's soft breathing lull her off to sleep.

**Okay, so I don't have much else to say besides send in your reviews please! the next chapter will be posted sometime tomorrow!**

**~Tara~**


	28. Chapter 28

**Next chapter up, I bet your happy it came so fast! :)**

Maddie slept well that night, although she assumed Neal didn't. He was already up and moving about when she awoke the next morning.

"You're not supposed to be doing that." She stated, watching him move around the apartment, his sling thrown on the kitchen table.

"My arm's fine I am sure it'll be okay without the sling for a while." He said, ignoring her worry. She could hear the exhaustion in his voice and she vaguely remembered him tossing and turning last night but she wasn't sure.

"What's wrong?" She asked, standing up from the bed and walking over to join him at the small stove where he stood making breakfast.

"Nothing's wrong, I am fine." He said, slipping a few eggs on a plate and handing them to her. She sighed and took the food, setting it on the table.

"I can make breakfast." She offered, but Neal shook his head.

"I can do it." He said. Maddie glanced at him again but turned to sit at the table anyway, eating her breakfast and watching Neal carefully.

She understood what was wrong; this wasn't something Neal enjoyed, not being able to do simple things. But he had to understand that the more he used the arm when he wasn't supposed to, the longer it would take to heal.

She continued to watch him, prepared to pull him out at the first sign that he was in pain but he seemed to be okay, although Maddie knew how good he was at putting a mask on over his feelings.

Eventually he sat down across from her and started eating.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"Yeah I slept alright, what about you?"

He shrugged, or what she assumed was a one shouldered shrug.

"Okay." He said. She nodded but could tell he was lying.

They ate quietly and each got changed, Maddie taking a quick shower, Neal opting against it, not quite ready to tackle that problem yet.

Maddie was on the phone when he came out of the bathroom, if he couldn't take a shower he'd at least freshen up a bit. She glanced at him and silently told him to stay quiet; he nodded and sat down on the sofa, watching as she moved about the apartment, talking to whoever was on the other end.

She hung up a few minutes later and came to sit next to Neal.

"Who was that?" He asked.

"The manager from that job I applied for a while ago." She said, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"What's up?"

"They wanted to call and apologize for not contacting me sooner. Apparently my application was 'misplaced'." She said.

"So what now?" Neal asked, wrapping his good arm around her. Maddie sighed.

"Now I try and find another job, apparently that position's already been filled." She said, anger in her voice.

"Sorry." He said quietly, kissing her sweetly.

"It's alright. If they lose applications that easily it can't be that great a business." She joked.

"So I guess I'll have to go start the job hunt all over again, I only applied at a few other places since I didn't know how long I was going to be here, none of them called me either, but I guess since I no longer have a house to move into, at least not anytime soon, I'll have to find a job somewhere." She mused.

Neal nodded and kissed her again.

"You'll think of something." He said, she nodded and leaned into his embrace.

After a few minutes Maddie ran downstairs to get the paper, determined to find a job as soon as she could. When she came back up she found Neal relaxing on the sofa, flipping through books and scribbling down notes on paper.

She left him be, sitting down at the kitchen table to start flipping through the paper.

The silence filled the room for a few good hours, interrupted only a few times by Maddie calling to ask about job opportunities.

In the span of two hours she landed three interviews and was content to let them play out, hoping for the best.

She was just about ready to make lunch for the two of them when someone knocked at the door. Maddie went to open it, smiling at who she found.

"Hey Moz." She said, stepping aside to let him in. She caught Neal closing books and stuffing paper into a few notebooks, cleaning up quickly as if he didn't want Mozzie to know what he was doing.

"Hope you didn't make lunch because I brought you some." He said, sitting a few cartons of Chinese down on the table.

"You don't have to do all this Moz, just the cleaning and wine were to much." Neal said, walking over to join them.

"No, no it's fine." Mozzie insisted, bustling about the apartment to get dishes for everyone. Neal shook his head and Maddie quickly walked over to Mozzie, taking over his search.

"I'll get the stuff Mozzie, you can go sit down." She said, smiling at his flustered expression. He nodded though and joined Neal at the kitchen table.

"So how's the arm?" He asked.

"It's okay, I just have to keep moving it, the doctor said that helps to make sure he heals right." Neal answered

"Well I am sure Maddie will make sure your okay." Mozzie commented.

"I will." She said, sitting down at the table and helping to dish out lunch.

The three chatted for a while, not talking about much but simple conversation that kept out awkward silences.

"So you're looking for a new apartment now?" Mozzie asked as he helped Maddie clean up.

"Yeah, I haven't actually started yet but I am looking." She said, a bit of defeat in her voice.

"I could probably help you out, I know a few guys in relating." He told her. She glanced at him with a curious look.

"Nothing illegal I promise." He held up his hands for effect.

"Well then of course I'd love your help." She said with a smile, handing him a bowl to dry off.

"She's looking for a job too, Moz." Neal said from his spot in the living room.

"Really?" Mozzie asked.

"Yeah the place I applied to before lost my application and already filled the position and no one else has called me back so I am still looking." She said.

"Well I'd say I could help you there but I've never really had a job before, employment is kind of a gray area for me." He commented. Maddie smiled,

"As I am sure it is for you too?" She asked, turning to Neal.

"It was." He said simply.

"But I wish you luck, I am sure you'll get a job, you're a smart girl." Mozzie said,

"Thanks." Maddie said, watching his face turn into a bit of surprise at his own comment, he nodded though and continued drying the last dish she'd given her.

After they finished cleaning Mozzie sat down with Neal to talk for a while as Maddie continued looking through the paper, this time for apartments. It wasn't that she was eager to get out of Neal's place; really she'd stay for as long as he wanted her to, but she did need her own space, somewhere to go home to and be by herself for a while. Plus it was far to early in the relationship to talk about moving in together, even though technically they kind of already were.

Mozzie left a little after five, leaving Neal and Maddie to themselves again.

Maddie walked over to her bag, picking out her sketch pad and a few pencils, knowing she needed to draw something for class next week.

She sat down at the kitchen table and opened to a blank page, contemplating what to draw.

Neal soon joined her at the table, spreading out a few of the case files that Peter had left with Neal's things when he drove him home yesterday.

Maddie glanced at him and smiled. His hair, which was limp from not being washed for a day, hung in his face and he kept pushing it back. He held a pen in his good hand and kept scribbling notes onto a sheet of paper and correcting things in the file. His brow knit together in concentration sometimes and he'd chew on the tip of the pen every now and then before he wrote something else down, his bright blue eyes flashing back and forth from the file to his notes.

Maddie picked up her pencil and let herself start drawing.

It was a little over an hour later when Neal finally closed up the case files, rubbing his eyes tiredly and pushing his hair out of his face again.

"What are you drawing?" He asked, glancing at Maddie who was still working hard.

"Nothing." She said simply, flashing him a smile and getting right back to work.

He smiled back at her, and then stood to drop the files on the coffee table.

He glanced at the clock which told him it was a little after six.

"You hungry?" he asked, she shrugged.

"Sure, what do you want?" She asked, still focused on the drawing in front of her.

"First for you to tell me what you're drawing that's so interesting?" he said, starting to walk up behind her. He didn't even get a glimpse of it before Maddie snapped the book shut.  
"Nothing." She said again, smiling at him.

"What do you want to eat?" She asked again.

"Whatever you want." He said, smiling back and retreating into his bedroom.

She made them a light supper and they sat eating quietly, neither talking about much.

She insisted on cleaning up, stating that he'd probably already used his arm enough this morning when he had it out of the sling and shouldn't have. He agreed, regrettably, and slipped into the bathroom while she cleaned up.

He emerged a while later, his hair damp. She'd picked up the sketch book again and was just about finished as he walked into the living room where she sat.

"You gonna tell me what that is?" He asked, sitting down next to her.

"When it's done." She said, hiding it from his view. He smiled and shook his head, sitting silently and watching her draw for a while.

Eventually she stopped and glanced up at him, noticing how tired he seemed.

"Done?" he asked, perking back up a bit. She nodded and scooted closer to him.

"You have to be honest, you promise?" She said, still hiding the drawing from him.

"I promise." He said, giving her a true smile. She sighed and handed him the book.

He was quiet for a while, not saying much of anything.

"It's beautiful." He said finally.

"Seriously?" She asked. He nodded, still examining the drawing.

"This is very good Maddie." He handed the drawing back to her and she looked at it closely.

She'd drawn Neal, he told her she could, a while ago so he probably didn't remember, especially with everything that had gone on between then and now but she remembered.

The drawing was just of his head, a few pieces of hair falling limp in his face, his eyes reflecting concentration.

"You're sure it's alright?" She asked, taking her pencil back in to fix a few lines.

"It's wonderful." He said, lightly taking the pencil out of her hand. She smiled at him and set the book down in front of her, moving into his welcome embrace.

"Are you submitting it for the showcase?" He asked, resting his head against hers.

She looked down at it again, and then smiled to herself.

"Yeah, but not just that one." She said.

"What else?" He questioned.

"I haven't done them yet, but I know what I am gonna do now." She told him. He glanced down at her curiously.  
"Each artist has to have a theme to the drawings they showcase, some people do scenery, architecture, they'll play with lines or color. But it has to all tie in together." She explained, he nodded.

"I think I just found my theme." She said with a smile

"What?" he asked.

"I am not gonna tell you right now, you'll find out when you come." She said, looking up at him. He smiled and laughed.

"Or I could just use my FBI skills to figure it out." He said sarcastically. She looked up at him again, a serious expression written on her face.

"Kidding Maddie." He said, pulling her in close. He kissed her hair lightly and wrapped his arm around her.

They sat quiet for a while, Maddie closed her eyes, resting against Neal's chest comfortably and Neal continued to run his fingers gently through her hair.

"Does this bother you?" Maddie asked, pointing at his unused arm.

"Yeah." He admitted

"I don't like not being able to do things for myself." He continued. She nodded.

"You don't have to be ashamed to ask me for help Neal that's what I am here for." She said, glancing up at him.

"I know, it's just, not who I am." He said. She nodded in understanding.

"We should get to bed." He said after a few minutes of silence.

The two of them changed and Maddie helped Neal out of his sling and into a fresh shirt and then he carefully lay down in bed, moving his arm as little as possible.

Maddie slid in next to him and let him pull her into his embrace.

"You should move it a little." She commented. He sighed and shifted his shoulder back and forth a few times, wincing every now and then. She rested her hand on his arm a few seconds later and he stopped.

"Remind me I'll need to go get more gauze soon, the doctor didn't give us a lot and I've only changed your bandage three times but were already almost out." She told him. He nodded and pulled her back in close, leaning down to kiss her.

She looked up at him, reaching her hand up to touch his face and run her fingers through his hair.

"I am glad you're safe." She said, kissing him again.

"Me too." He said quietly, resting his forehead against hers and kissing her once more.

"I love you." He whispered against her lips. She smiled and so did he.

"Love you too." She said back. Then let her head rest under his, falling asleep peacefully.

**Okay so the next chapter will be up on Friday, I haven't decided when I am going to post the Christmas one yet, I don't think it'll be on Christmas, it may be that night or the next day, but we'll worry about that later. **

**Anyway, keep sending in those reviews, thank you all so much for keeping up with this!**

**~Tara~**


	29. Chapter 29

**Okay, here is your Christmas Gift, Enjoy!**

Neal was already awake when she woke up the next morning. He was sitting up in bed, his eyes glancing around him.

"Morning." She said, sleep still evident in her voice. He smiled down at her and pulled her close.

"Goodmorning." He said back, kissing her sweetly and holding her close to him.

"You okay?" She asked, sensing a bit of unease. He turned his gaze away from her but she watched him closely.

"Neal?"

"Just bad dreams, I'll be fine." He said, nodding in determination.

"You wanna talk about it?" She questioned, knowing he wouldn't, Neal never talked about anything. He looked at her though, taking in her worried expression, but then he shook his head.

"No, I'll be alright." He said, kissing her again.

"Love you." He whispered. She smiled and nodded, accepting that he'd never really tell her if anything was bothering him, that's just the way he was.

"You know what tomorrow is?" He asked, changing the subject. Maddie thought for a few seconds.

"Satruday." She stated, not knowing what else he was hinting at. He smiled and shook his head.

"Christmas." He said, his blue eyes glistening. Maddie sighed.

"I totally forgot." She said, shaking her head.

"To much distracting stuff going on the past few weeks." She added, poking at his chest, he laughed but continued smiling.

"I have a gift for you." He mumbled as he kissed her, she smiled against his lips but didn't indulge him and ask him what it was.

"I don't have anything for you." She said sadly, he shook his head though.

"You didn't have to get me anything." He said, kissing her again. She rolled her eyes,

"It's Christmas, you're supposed to give someone something." She said.

"I didn't even get anything for Peter or Elizabeth." She mused. Neal shrugged.

"No, I have to get them something; they let me stay at their house for a month." She told him.

"I am letting you stay at my house." He said.

"I know, that's why I have to get you something too." She answered.

"Maddie I am serious, you don't have to get me anything." He told her again.

"We'll see." She whispered.

They finally abandoned the warmth of Neal's bed a few hours later, Maddie making breakfast and Neal retreating into the bathroom for what Maddie assumed would be the toughest shower he'd ever taken.

He emerged a while later though, hair still damp, and Maddie smiled at him.

"Everything okay?" she asked, smiling and pointing to his breakfast.

"Yeah fine, why?" He questioned, sitting down across from her.

"Just making sure you were okay to shower; doesn't that hurt your arm?" She asked. He shook his head.  
"I know how to shower without the use of one arm." He said simply, and Maddie didn't question further.

After breakfast Neal sat down in the living room and began looking over case files again. Maddie pulled out her cell phone and slipped quietly into the hall.

"Hello?" Came the voice on the other end.

"Morning Mozzie." She said smiling, Mozzie had given her his private number two weeks ago when everything with Richard was going on, he said it was just in case she needed to get in touch. She didn't understand his reasoning now but she did a few days later, and now she was glad she'd kept it programmed into her phone.

"Maddie, what's up?" He asked.

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" She asked.

Maddie figured Neal hadn't realized she'd slipped out because he didn't ask her where she went when she came back into the room. He did however question what she was doing when she started gathering her purse and coat.

"I am going shopping for a while." She said, Neal sighed.

"Maddie, you don't have to get me anything for Christmas I am serious." He said, as she walked over to sit down next to him.

"Who said I was going to get you anything?" She joked. Neal laughed and his eyes sparked, but he pulled her into a hug and kissed her sweetly.

"Just hurry back." He said, releasing her from his embrace. She stood and made her way to the door.

"Oh don't worry; you won't be alone for to long." She said, and then slipped out the door again.

Maddie met Mozzie at the door to June's house and she let him inside.

"He's upstairs." She told him.

"He doesn't know I am coming?" Mozzie asked. Maddie smiled.

"I am sure he thinks he'll be okay by himself but I know better, he'll end up slipping out of his sling and doing things he shouldn't be doing." She told him. Mozzie nodded in understanding.

"I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble." Mozzie said, starting up the stairs.

"Thanks Moz." Maddie called as she closed the door to the house behind her.

She spent most of the day going from shop to shop, looking for the perfect gift for everyone. She figured she'd just buy something for Peter, Elizabeth and Neal, but she found what would probably be one of the best gifts Mozzie would ever get so she picked something up for him too, hoping he'd appreciate it. In the end she was walking home with gifts for Peter, Elizabeth, Neal, Mozzie and June, plus a little something for Satchmo because she didn't want him to feel left out.

Now the question was, where was she going to keep all the bags. She could hope that Neal wouldn't snoop but it was sort of in his nature, so when she got back to June's house, she slipped the bag with Neal's gift in it into the coat closet, knowing he probably wouldn't look there. Then she took everyone else's gifts upstairs, she'd probably just end up keeping them in a corner somewhere but there wasn't anything important for Neal to peek at in these bags so she was okay with that.

Maddie walked into a very silent apartment, Neal sat on his bed, arms crossed as best as they could be and what looked like a pout on his face, while Mozzie sat at the table, sipping wine and smiling.

"Good evening you two." She said happily, slipping the bags behind the sofa. Neal laughed sarcastically and Mozzie continued smiling.

"I am assuming you didn't let him do much of anything today." Maddie said, coming to sit next to Mozzie at the table.

"No, he hasn't gotten into any trouble." Mozzie told her.

"That's because I haven't moved from the bed all day." Neal called. Maddie passed him an apologetic look but then turned back to Mozzie.

"Thank you Moz." She said, he nodded and finished his wine then glanced at the clock.

"Well I should be going, I trust you can handle him from here." He said, looking over at Neal. Maddie smiled.

"Yeah I think we'll be okay." She said, walking with Mozzie to the door.

"Alright then, I'll talk to you both later." He said, waving at Neal who didn't wave back.

"Night Moz." Maddie said, closing the door quietly behind him.

Neal gave a dramatic sigh and swung his legs off the bed, walking to stand next to her in the kitchen.

"Thank god, I am serious I haven't moved all day except to go to the bathroom or get something to eat." He said, pulling her into a hug.

"Sorry, I just told him to keep an eye on you." She told him. Neal sighed.

"It's alright; I guess I needed a day to relax anyway." He said, kissing her quickly.

"Dinner?" he asked, moving for the kitchen.

"Sure." She said.

They both made dinner together that night, Maddie allowing Neal to help with simple things, understanding that he needed to keep moving the arm somewhat for it to heal right.

Neal lit a fire in the fireplace as she finished up and they ate in front of it, staring quietly into the flames.

"So did you have a good day shopping?" he asked when they'd finished eating.

"Yeah it was alright." She said.

"What'd you get?" He questioned, glancing back at where the bags sat.

"Just a few things." She told him. He nodded but she could see his brain working, trying to figure out a way to get her to tell him if she'd bought him anything.

"You'll find out tomorrow." She assured him. He smiled at her but didn't press for any more information.

They cleaned up dinner and Neal guided Maddie over to the couch where they sat together, the fire still keeping the room warm.

"Can I ask you a question?" Neal said, Maddie nodded and glanced up at him.

"Your family, you celebrated Christmas right?" He asked. Maddie averted her gaze and Neal quickly withdrew the statement.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He knew it was a touchy subject and that she probably wouldn't talk about it but he wanted to try anyway.

"No, it's okay." Maddie said as she leaned into his embrace.

"Yes, we celebrated Christmas, it was usually the only time my family was civil with each other." She said.

"I don't understand I mean, I know siblings can be different but Elizabeth has a great life, how'd your mom end up with the short straw?" Neal asked. Maddie sighed but pressed on, if she was going to talk about this kind of stuff with anyone it would be Neal.

"We were pretty well off when I was a child, my dad worked for a great business, my mom was the happy housewife, and everything was great." She said, a smile appearing on her face as she remembered.

"But my dad lost his job when I was thirteen, we had to move to a smaller house and we lost a lot of money." She explained, Neal nodded quietly, letting her continue.

"My parents were always arguing about money and jobs and how to take care of me, a lot of times I just thought they'd be better off if I just ran away." She mused.

"Anyway, the only time my parents were nice with each other was Christmas, we didn't have a lot of money so I never got a lot of gifts but they always made sure I had something nice." She took a few seconds to think about what to say next.

"The house we had to move to, it wasn't in the nicest part of town and, well you know what happens." Maddie said quietly.  
"But after my dad died things got worse, my mom was always looking for work and I was doing all I could to help but it never seemed like enough, that's why I ran away when I was eighteen, I just needed out." She said.

"I love my mom, and it's not that I want to be away from her, she's doing alright for herself now, she got a steady job and she's earning a decent amount of money. It's just that, there's to many memories there, things I don't want to remember, I realized it was time to move on, make some new memories." She said, her voice drifting off quietly. Neal realized she was finished when she didn't continue after a few minutes.

"Thank you." He said, kissing her softly.

"For what?" She asked.

"For telling me that, I understand how hard it is." He told her, she nodded, not expecting to get a story from him in return because that's just how he was.

"We celebrated Christmas too though." He said, Maddie glanced up at him surprised. She never heard him talk about his family before.

"Once or twice if I remember right, it wasn't exactly the greatest time of year but, it was nice." He said, she nodded but didn't talk, knowing better than to press for more information.

"We stopped celebrating anything when I turned ten." He said, his eyes taking on a distant look.

"It's kind of hard to remember your birthday when you never celebrate it." He continued.

"You don't know?" She asked quietly.

"I know my brother told me I was born in October, no one could remember the day so I just made one up." He said quietly.

"I am sorry." Maddie whispered carefully, scared that if she said to much she'd break the moment. Neal shrugged and shook his head.

"Doesn't matter." He said, his whole demeanor changing in an instant, Maddie glanced at him strangely.

"Neal-" She started to protest but he cut her off.

"Maddie, I forgot about my family a long time ago, there aren't any fond memories of them that I think of in the middle of the night, that's just the way it is. This is who I am now, did my family help to create me? Sure they probably did in a way, but will I let them take credit for it? Not a chance. Neal Caffrey is my own person, and they have no barring over him what so ever, they never will." He said. Maddie nodded slowly, knowing this would be the end of this conversation, and probably any family conversations they would ever have had in the future.

"We should get to bed." Neal stated, standing and taking her hand in his.

They both changed into more comfortable clothes and Neal let the fire burn down to a few coals, then he and Maddie walked over to his bed quietly.

He wrapped his arm around her snuggly and pulled her close.

"I love you Maddie." He whispered, kissing her sweetly. Maddie was quiet and thought for a while.

"Can I ask you something?" She said quietly, he didn't answer, just nodded.

"If I say I love you, is Neal the name I should use?" She asked. It was a pretty ballsy question, and really she couldn't even believe she'd asked it. Those few words were questioning everything she knew about Neal, his personality, his character, but mostly his ability to be truthful with her.

He didn't answer right away and she started dreading what he'd say.

"Yes." He said firmly. She nodded and let relief flow through her.

"Then I love you too Neal." She said, kissing him back. He let his forehead rest against hers, not pulling his lips away.

"I wouldn't lie to you Maddie." He whispered. She nodded.

"I know."

He kissed her again, letting passion flow through him as he lightly ran his fingers through her hair.

Trust wasn't something he was good at. Kate had once asked him the same question, if Neal was really his name, and he'd told her the same thing he told Maddie. Some thing's he wouldn't lie about, his name was one of them. He might not be proud of where he came from but that name was what reminded him of what he could have been, what he'd never let happen to himself.

Maddie smiled up at him and let her fingers linger in his hair for a few seconds before she pulled him in for another kiss.

"Goodnight." She whispered.

"Night." He said back, watching as she rested her head in the crook of his neck and peacefully fell asleep.

**Alrighty, the Christmas chapter should be up in about a day, I'll be busy with the family tomorrow so I can probably get it up on Sunday or Monday. **

**I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays depending on what you celebrate. eaither way I wish you many happy wishes! **

**Reviews would be the best Christmas gift you could give me so send um in please! thank you!**

**~Tara~**


	30. Chapter 30

**MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope it was a wonderful day for everyone. this is my gift to you, a very long Christmas chapter, enjoy!**

Neal sat up anxiously the next morning, Maddie's gifts wrapped and sitting beside the bed, now all she had to do was wake up.

It was still quiet early, only a little after six but Neal had always found the feeling of Christmas to be one of his favorite things.

As he told Maddie last night he never really celebrated it as a child but when he got out into the real world and experienced Christmas for the first time, he'd wished every day could be as wonderful.  
The city was always sparkling and people were moving about in a rush to get from store to store or back to their families. Even though the weather was always cold everything just seemed much warmer and happier this time of year.  
Truthfully he was like a four year old every year when Christmas came around, and he didn't really care.

So at around six fifteen in the morning, Neal now sat in bed, trying to be as patient as possible and wait for Maddie to wake up on her own. Really though it was driving him crazy, he'd had the gifts for a few weeks now and they'd been sitting inside his dresser just screaming at him, begging him to show Maddie but he'd be patient and wait.

Eventually he ended up waiting another hour before his patients wore out and he gently shook Maddie awake. She mumbled and rubbed at her eyes, rolling over to face Neal.

"Merry Christmas." He said, a huge grin on his face. Maddie nodded.

"Merry Christmas, go back to sleep." She mumbled, waving her hand in his direction and beginning to roll back over. Neal shook his head and took her hand in his.

"No, you have to wake up I have a gift for you." He told her, the smile still in place.

"Does the gift have legs?" She asked, Neal's face contorted with confusion.

"No." He said plainly.

"Then it'll still be there when I wake up." She said simply, then closed her eyes, rolled back over and quickly fell asleep.

Neal sighed and grumbled a bit but eventually slipped himself out of bed and walked into the kitchen.

He slipped the sling off his arm and tossed it on the counter, shifting his shoulder around a bit and wincing at how stiff it was from sleep. He then set to making breakfast, eggs and toast and a somewhat failed attempt at using the waffle maker without the full use of one arm. But after another hour he had a warm breakfast for he and Maddie sitting on the kitchen table. He put his sling back on so Maddie wouldn't know he'd taken it off, his arm felt a little better after being worked out. Then he walked over to the bed again and gently shook Maddie's shoulder. She grumbled again and turned to face him.

"You're awfully persistent aren't you?" She asked, giving her best sleepy glare.

"Breakfast is ready." He answered. Maddie glanced at him then sighed pushing the covers aside and letting Neal take her hand and walk her to the table. She smiled at him as she looked down at the plate.

"Made this all by yourself did you?" She asked sarcastically, motioning to the almost waffles that lay on her plate.

"There editable okay, I tried." He said, she smiled and laughed.

"Thank you." She said, sitting down across from him.

They ate quietly, Neal glancing up from his plate every few minutes to check if she was finished yet.

Surprisingly he was done before her, even without the use of one arm, but now he just sat, trying not to let her know that he was staring at her. Finally she sighed and sat her fork down.

"Just go get the gifts." She told him. He flashed his blinding smile at her and bounded out of his chair and into his bedroom, slipping the gifts out from under the bed and bringing them over to her at the table.

She pushed the two plates off to the side and he sat the packages down in front of her. One of the boxes was normal sized but the other was much larger and she was suddenly worried about the amount of money he'd spent on her when she hadn't even asked for anything.

"Merry Christmas." He said, smiling brightly at her and motioning for her to open the gifts.

She started with the normal sized package first, unwrapping a circular box that she opened, revealing a brown fedora.

"The other one looked really good on you so I thought I'd get you another." He told her, she smiled and flipped the hat onto her head.

"Thank you." She said with a smile. He nodded and pointed to the last package. She sighed and tore the wrapping paper off quickly.

Neal watched her face for approval and was very pleased when she brought her hands to her mouth in shock.

"You like it?" He asked. In front of Maddie lay a mess of painting supplies, brushes in every size, and paint in every color, plus a few canvases in different sizes.

"It's wonderful." She said quietly.

"I know you draw a lot for class but I never saw any painting supplies with your things, every good artist needs um right?" He asked. Maddie shook her head in disbelief and moved over to wrap Neal up tight in her arms.

"You're amazing." She told him, hugging him again and kissing him sweetly.

"You're welcome." He said, kissing her back.

"But now I have to give you your gift." She said, slipping out of his embrace.

"Stay here." She told him, slipping out the door and downstairs to retrieve the two bags with his things in them.

Neal was still sitting at the kitchen table when she came back.

"You hid it downstairs?" He asked as she sat the two bags in front of him.

"So you wouldn't snoop." She said, flashing him a grin.

"I wouldn't snoop." He told her, she rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Uh hu, sure, con man."

"Reformed con man." He corrected her, reaching into the first bag and pulling out a medium sized package.

"You can't laugh when you open this." She warned him, he looked at her curiously but tore the paper off anyway and opened up the box with a smile.

"Convenient." He said with a smile, flipping a light brown fedora onto his head.

"You weren't sneaking a peek at my gifts for you were you?" He asked.

"No, I promise, great minds think alike I guess." She said with a smile. He nodded and starting tarring the paper off his next gift.

"Okay now this is just uncanny." He laughed. Maddie had given him a bunch of drawing supplies.

"Well I've seen you paint before but I never see you draw that often so I wanted to get you some things." She told him, Neal looked at each item carefully, a medium sized sketch book, a pack of regular black drawing pencils and also a pack of colored drawing pencils.

"They're beautiful, thank you." He said, sitting the gifts aside and pulling Maddie into a hug.

"You're welcome." She said, smiling back at him.

"And Merry Christmas." She added, kissing him sweetly.

"Merry Christmas." He mumbled against her lips.

Maddie cleaned up breakfast while Neal got changed, slipping into one of his favorite suits with a deep red button down shirt underneath.

She helped him pull his arm through the shirt and assisted him in fixing his tie (which he insisted should be the deep green one) and then he regrettably put his sling back on before sliding one arm into his suit coat and draping the other arm over his shoulder.

"My arm really doesn't hurt that bad Maddie, can't I just leave the sling off for a day?" He called to her.

"The doctor said to leave it on for another week, that means you only have four days left." Maddie called back from the bathroom.

"But it's Christmas." Neal said in his most sincere voice.

"If you wanna take it off when we get over to Peter and Elizabeth's that's fine." She said, emerging from the bathroom. She'd dressed nicely as well, a pair of black slacks and bright red ballet flats, topped with a dark green satin top.

"Thank you!" Neal said, warping her in a hug as she reached for her jacket.

"Don't' thank me yet, you can take it off if Peter or Elizabeth let you." She said, slipping her jacket on and reaching for the bags she'd slipped behind the sofa last night.

Neal sighed but didn't lose the spark in his eyes.

"That shouldn't be too hard." He said, picking up his own jacket and letting Maddie help him into it.

The cab ride was slow, Maddie and Neal both had a few packages at their feet, neither would tell the other what they'd gotten for Peter or Elizabeth though. After a half hour of horrible traffic they arrived at the house. Elizabeth smiled, wrapped them both in hugs and ushered them inside and out of the snow that had started to fall.

"Merry Christmas Peter." Maddie said, wrapping her uncle in a hug.

"Merry Christmas to you too." He said, hugging her back.

"Neal, how's the arm?" He asked.

"Alright." He said, as he hung his jacket on the hook inside the door with Maddie's and held his suit coat in his hands.

"Maddie, help me in the kitchen?" Elizabeth asked. Maddie nodded and shot Neal a smile before disappearing into the kitchen with Elizabeth.

"So how's Neal holding up?" She asked, once the door was closed.

"He's doing alright, but you know Neal, he wants out of that sling that's for sure." Maddie told her.

"Well the doctor said he only had to be in it for another week, that's-"  
"Four days left, I told him this morning, but." Maddie shook her head and Elizabeth smiled.

"That's Neal for you." She commented.

"He'll be fine though, I am sure he understands that the more he pushes it the longer he has to wait to be back to normal again." Elizabeth continued.

"I hope so." Maddie said.

"He'll be fine hon, don't worry."

"I am just glad to have him back." Maddie told her, Elizabeth smiled and gave her a quick hug.

"I know."

When she and Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen a while later Neal was sitting on the sofa with Peter. Maddie assumed he'd convinced him to let him go without the sling for a while since it was lying over the arm of the couch.

"You let him take it off?" Maddie asked Peter. He sighed and shook his head.

"It's Christmas, I am not in the mood to argue." He said simply, shrugging his shoulders and sitting back. Maddie smiled and shook her head.

The four of them chatted for a while, Neal asking Peter all about what had been going on at work since he'd missed a week and Peter entertained them by explaining the case they were working on before the holidays arrived.

Neal listened intently, taking in every detail while Maddie watched, a smile on her face.

A few hours later there was a knock at the door and Elizabeth rose to answer.

"Merry Christmas Suits!" Mozzie called from the door. Elizabeth laughed and walked into the living room with him.

"Merry Christmas to you too Havershum." Peter said with a smile.

"I am not a Suit Moz." Neal commented.

"Okay, Suits and Neal." He corrected himself, Neal smiled and nodded.

The conversations got a lot more interesting after Mozzie joined in; he brought Maddie and Elizabeth to hysterics more than once with his comments and eventually the two left to prepare dinner.

"Mozzie I am telling you, no one is going to believe that Elvis is still alive and living in seclusion in New Mexico." Peter told him.

"Ye of little faith." Mozzie commented shaking his head.

Neal smiled at the two of them. Really if he had to pick any two people he never thought would get along, it would be Peter and Mozzie. They were both total opposites in almost every way possible, but really they were both just good guys and in some strange way, Neal figured they trusted each other, even if Mozzie would never admit it.

"Supper boys." Elizabeth said as she and Maddie began bringing out the dishes.

The five of them sat around the table and joked and laughed all the way through dinner. Mozzie continually trying to convince them that the birth of Christ was a religious conspiracy, which Peter refused to believe. Neal gave many attempts at trying to make Peter combine two of the most random things on the table and eat them, which Peter would not do and the second Neal did it he realized it wasn't as funny as he thought it was.

Elizabeth laughed at the both of them and convinced Neal and Peter to try a new dish she'd made, Neal loved it, Peter not so much, but Mozzie found it amazing and ended up eating most of it himself, Elizabeth promised he'd make more for him later.

Maddie watched on with pride as all of them laughed and enjoyed the dinner.

Yes her family had celebrated Christmas once or twice and she'd enjoyed it then but it was nothing like this. Back then there was always the worry about money, and what her family could and couldn't afford.

Now the only thing Maddie felt was happiness and love and an overwhelming sense of joy.

As dysfunctional as it was, this was her family. Elizabeth, Peter, Neal and Mozzie were all people she loved, more than anything.

The sense of family was something she didn't have much of when she was younger, there weren't a lot of nights when her and her parents sat around together. One was always working or out looking for jobs, she spent most of her younger days on her own. But now, she had people to look after her, to care about her, to love her. She'd gotten a very special gift this Christmas and as she made eye contact with Neal across the table, she could tell he'd gotten that same gift.

After dinner was finished and the dishes had been cleaned up, with much persuading to Neal and Peter for help. The five of them sat around in the living room, continuing their conversation.

"Before we keep going we have to do gifts." Maddie announced. They agreed and each person moved quickly to pick up bags and packages then came to sit back down in the living room.

"Who goes first?" Neal asked, once everyone was seated again.

"I vote Peter." Maddie said with a smile, everyone agreed and Maddie handed her gift off first.

"Thank you." Peter said, opening the small box.

"Oh, Maddie it's lovely." Elizabeth said, glancing at the blue and white tie that lay in the box.

"It is Maddie, thank you." Peter agreed, lifting it out of the box to look at it.

"You're welcome." Maddie said, smiling.

"Mine next." Neal said, passing his gift down to Peter, a bright smile on his face.

"There's nothing in here that you obtained illegally right?" Peter asked, taking the box carefully in his hands.

"No, I bought it with my own money, come on Peter." Neal said, his smile slipping for a second.

"Kidding." Peter said, smiling back at him. He opened the box and pulled out a dark brown wallet.

"I figure since I steal your other one all the time you can use this as a back up." Neal said.

"That's funny Neal, but you haven't stolen my wallet in a while." Peter said, reaching into his pants pocket but coming up empty. He glanced over at Neal who proudly held Peter's wallet in his hands.

"You know that get's old after a while." Peter said, snatching his wallet back.

"I don't think so." Neal said laughing. Maddie smiled and glanced at Elizabeth who was trying her best to hold in her laughter.

"All right sweetie mine next." Elizabeth said, handing Peter a medium sized box. He opened it up to find a photo album inside.

"It's a scrapbook, I've been working on it for a while, just putting together memories." She said.

"It's wonderful, thanks hon." Peter told her, giving her a quick kiss.

"Alright Moz, you're up." Maddie said, glancing at Mozzie who sat on the other side of her.

"Well since it's not exactly easy for someone like me, to buy someone like you a gift." He said pointing at Peter.

"I understand Mozzie." Peter told him, a smile playing across his face.

"But, I didn't want you to go empty handed, so I got you this." He said, producing a small box and handing it to Peter.

"No tricks on it, promise." Mozzie said when Peter gave him a questioning look.

Peter opened the box and smiled, pulling out an expensive looking pen.

"Thanks Mozzie, this is great." He said.

"It's not gonna record everything he writes right?" Neal asked quietly.

"No, I am being honest, it's just a pen." Mozzie told him.

"I believe him Neal, thank you Mozzie, it's wonderful." Peter said, slipping the pen back in its box. Mozzie smiled and nodded.

"Alright next?" Maddie said.

"Your turn hon." Peter said, pointing to Elizabeth. She smiled and nodded.

"Alright."

"I'll go first here." Neal said, pulling a box from the small pile in front of him and passing it to Elizabeth. She opened it and smiled excitedly at what she found inside.

"Are these real?" She asked, looking to Neal, he nodded.

"Authentic Christian Louboutin." He told her. Elizabeth reached into the box and pulled out the black pumps with a red stiletto heal.

"Peter gave me your size so they should fit." He added. Elizabeth smiled.

"How did you get these, I mean they cost hundreds of dollars?" She asked.

"I have a friend, he owed me." Neal said with a smile.

"Thank you Neal, there lovely. She said, placing them carefully back in the box.

"Mine next." Peter said, picking up a small package and handing it to Elizabeth, she opened it quickly and smiled.

"Peter it's lovely." She said, pulling out the sparkling tennis bracelet from the box.

"Thank you." She said, giving him a kiss and letting him clip the bracelet around her wrist.

Maddie handed her gift over next and Elizabeth was thrilled and the rose colored silk top that lay inside.

"It's beautiful Maddie, thank you." She said, giving her niece a bright smile.

Mozzie then handed his gift over and she smiled as she opened the small box it came in.

"Wow, Mozzie this is beautiful." She said, pulling out a very antique looking compact mirror with roses embossed on the lid.

"You people would be surprised the kind of antiques I come in contact with sometimes." He said, smiling at Elizabeth.

"It's lovely Mozzie, thank you." She said, setting the box down with her other gifts.

"Alright Neal next." Peter said, handing his own gift over.

Neal opened it quickly, gift giving and receiving was another of his favorite things about Christmas.

"Aw, Peter." He said, pulling a tie of his own out of its box.

"I know how much you love those fancy Italian ties." Peter said, gesturing to the thin silver tie Neal held in his hand.

"Thanks." He said with a smile.

"I already gave Neal my gift this morning." Maddie commented.

"Yes, a new hat, which I love." Neal said.

"So I'll go next." Elizabeth said, handing over her gift.

Neal unwrapped the box and opened it to find a collection of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin CD's.

"The last time I was over at your place I noticed the record player you had and Maddie told me that's how you played your music so I figured I'd make it a little easier on you." She said, smiling.

"Thanks Elizabeth." Neal said, a bright smile forming on his face.

"You're welcome dear." She said, smiling back.

Maddie glanced to Mozzie who smiled but shook his head.

"You'll get my gift later." He said

"Then you'll go next." Maddie said, handing him her gift. Mozzie smiled and opened the package, glancing at her with a confused look at what he found.

"I had this friend in High School who was really tech savvy, we caught up a while ago and he owed me a few favors, this is the latest in hack proof computer software. He says it works extremely well, apparently not even the FBI can break through it." She whispered the last part, hoping Peter hadn't heard. Mozzie smiled brightly.

"Then this will come in handy, thank you Maddie." He said.

"Alright, I'll go next." Elizabeth said, handing over a small package.

"Now it's nothing you can use right now but I know how much you liked that dish I had you try a while back and so this is an offer from the restaurant that supplied it. You can go in anytime and show them that card and they'll take ten percent off your meal." Elizabeth told him. Mozzie smiled again and thanked Elizabeth many times.

"Alright mine next." Peter said, handing over his own gift. Mozzie opened it and smiled at what he found.

"Neal said you like to read mystery novels." Peter told him.

"And I do, thank you very much Suit." He said, giving Peter a true smile.

"And you'll get my gift later as well." Neal told him.

"Then that leaves you Maddie." Elizabeth said, handing over her own gift.

Maddie smiled at the light blue dress shirt that lay inside the box.

"Thank you Elizabeth, it's lovely." She said, accepting the box Peter handed her.

"Neal will like that as well I am sure." He commented as Maddie opened the box to reveal a few old Rat Pack movies.

"That's great Peter." Maddie said, passing one off to Neal to look at.

"Well I figure there's nothing safer than a movie night." Peter said. Neal and Maddie smiled and she thanked him again.

"Okay, for you." Mozzie said, handing her a small package.

"It's, be careful." Mozzie told her as she opened it up

"Wow, Mozzie." Maddie said in surprise, as she looked over the gift Mozzie had given her.  
"It's beautiful." She said. In front of her sat a very old looking silver hand mirror with flowers engraved all over it. And a beautiful purple and blue jeweled hair comb.

Elizabeth stood and walked over to Maddie to get a better look.

"Mozzie there beautiful." Elizabeth said, running her fingers across the mirror.

"Thank you Moz." Maddie said, wrapping her arm around him, she smiled when he wrapped his arm around her as well.

"You're welcome." He said quietly, smiling at her as he released her from the embrace.

The five of them sat around a while longer, chatting and showing each other the gifts they'd gotten. Maddie tossed Satchmo the bone she'd gotten him, wishing the dog a Merry Christmas as well, and he seemed more than pleased.

When it reached eight o'clock they decided to call it an early night. So Maddie, Neal and Mozzie packed up their things and gave hugs to Peter and Elizabeth.

"Merry Christmas you two." Maddie said as she wrapped her arms around both Peter and Elizabeth.

"You too dear." Elizabeth said, giving her a quick kiss.

"Behave." Peter told Neal as he slipped his arm back into the sling.

"Always do." He said, shooting Peter a grin.

"Night." They called as they left, Peter and Elizabeth waved them off, smiling happily as the snow drifted down quietly.

Neal and Maddie got back to June's first; the house was still empty since June would be out of town until sometime after New Years. They both went upstairs and deposited their gifts where they belonged. Both had changed and were sitting at the kitchen table sipping wine when Mozzie knocked on the door.

Neal let him in and pored him a glass of wine as he joined them at the table.

"So did you have fun?" Neal asked him.

"Yes, it was a very nice day." Mozzie said.

"See, the Suits aren't all that bad." Neal told him.

"Not all of them are." He said.

"Oh, I have your gift for you, by the way." Neal said, standing and walking over to one of the cabinets.

"Figured you'd enjoy this." He said handing Mozzie a bottle of wine. Mozzie looked it over and smiled at him.

"Where'd you get this?" He asked.

"A friend." Neal said with a shrug.

"Thank you." Mozzie said, setting the bottle down in front of him.

"You know I bet holidays like this are a lot of fun for you guys, you get to call in favors and get crazy gifts no one could think of." Maddie mused. Neal laughed and smiled.

"It's not all that easy." He said.

"First you have to find the friends you're looking for." Mozzie said.

"And if their friends with people like us, odds are there hiding pretty well." Neal finished. Maddie nodded and continued to sip her wine.

"I have a gift for you as well; it's just not in my position right now." Mozzie told Neal.

"That's fine, it's not like I am goin anywhere soon." He said.

The three sat around for a few hours, chatting and drinking their wine. Mozzie decided to leave around ten and Neal caped the wine bottle around ten thirty, convincing Maddie it was time for bed.

She slipped in next to him and let him wrap her safely in his embrace, her head resting on his chest.

"So it was a good day?" he asked her. Maddie smiled and nodded.

"It was a great day." She said.

"Yeah." Neal commented.

"Probably the best Christmas I've ever had." She commented.

Neal nodded.

"Really the only Christmas I've ever had." He said quietly. Maddie glanced up at him.

"You've never had a Christmas, ever, even after you ran away from home?" She asked. He sighed and kissed her forehead, reaching his hand up to run it gently through her hair.

"I tried, but I was always doing something, going somewhere, I never really spent a lot of time in one place." He told her.

"After I met Kate, we were in New York a lot, we tried to have Christmas one year, we even got each other gifts but-" He didn't continue and Maddie didn't ask.

"I am glad my first real Christmas was with you." She told him, pressing her lips against his sweetly.

"Me too." He said, leaning in to kiss her again, his hand at the back of her neck, holding her close to him.

"I love you Neal." She whispered, he kissed her again, deeper, and she kissed him right back.

"I love you too." He said, so quietly she almost had to strain to hear him. She kissed him once more and then lay her head back down on his chest.

"Merry Christmas." She said. He laughed and pulled her in closer.

"Merry Christmas."

**So like I said very long, and I hope everything was okay with it, it took me a while to get it all out so there are probably a few errors in there somewhere so I apologize for them! anyway I hope you enjoyed, and if you did, send me a review! Thanks!**

**~Tara~**


	31. Chapter 31

**Welcome back everyone, sorry it's been a little while, the holidays were a little crazy, with all the family visits I wasn't able to post anything else. So here's the next chapter, a bit overdue I know but I hope you enjoy it. **

Maddie woke up late the next morning, Neal was already moving about the apartment, his sling forgotten on a chair.

"Morning." He called to her when he realized she was awake.

"Morning." She said back, standing up out of bed and running a hand through her hair while stifling a yawn.

"The doctor called, he says he wants me to come in so he can see the progress." Neal told her as they both sat down to eat. Maddie nodded.

"Good, I need to pick up some more stuff anyway." She said, glancing at the bandage on Neal's right shoulder.

They ate quietly and then Neal insisted they get to the doctor right away.

"If he says its healing okay maybe he'll let me keep the sling off." Neal said as Maddie helped him into a light shirt.

"Maybe." She said, smiling at him.

They were dressed and out the door by eleven and caught a cab to the hospital.

Maddie walked up to the front desk while Neal took a seat in the waiting room.

"Hi, the doctor called this morning to see Neal Caffrey." Maddie told the lady. She checked a few sheets and then smiled up at her.

"He can come right this way." She said, standing from her desk. Maddie called Neal over and they followed her down a hallway to a small room.

"You can wait right here, the doctor will be with you shortly." She told them, then with another smile she left.

Neal sat down cautiously on the bed, the paper crinkling under his weight.

"I don't understand how they can do that?" Neal said.

"Do what?" Maddie asked, taking a chair across from him.

"Smile all the time, I mean you work in a hospital, you see blood and injury all day, how can they be so happy?" He said. Maddie shrugged.

"It's their job. How do you smile when you know your ripping someone off for tons of money?" She shot back with a grin. Neal smiled at her and nodded.

"Okay, I see your point." He said, abandoning the conversation.

Neal continued to complain about hospitals while they waited.

"I am not saying I don't like them, I just don't like being in them." He said finally.

"Well Mozzie would be proud of you." She told him. Neal smiled and laughed.

Eventually the doctor came in and shook hands with both Neal and Maddie.

"So how's the arm feel today Neal?" The doctor said, helping him out of his sling and asking Maddie to help him take his shirt off so he could have a better look at the wound.

"It's not bad, it's always a little stiff in the morning." He told him.

"That's common, especially after sleeping on it all night; do you move it around during the day?" He asked, as he unwrapped the bandages.

"Yeah, I do little things thought the day and it usually loosens up pretty quick." Neal explained. The doctor nodded and examined the bullet graze on Neal's arm.

"Well it looks like it's healing up pretty well, and if you're continuing to move it around that's good." The doctor said, Neal's face brightened.

"And you've been changing the bandages every day?" He asked, glancing at Maddie.

"Yeah, I was actually gonna ask you for some more bandages, the stack you gave us before is running low." She said with a smile.

"Good, I'll make sure to give those to you." He said, beginning to put a fresh set of bandages on.

"Well Neal, I think we're doing alright. I know I said to keep that sling on for another week but the healing is progressing pretty well so I'd say you should be okay without it now. Just make sure to continue moving it every day, nothing to strenuous but doing small things is good." The doctor said, Neal broke out into a full fledged grin and Maddie knew he was thrilled to not have to worry about the sling anymore.

"I'll get those bandages for you as well and I think if you keep changing um everyday and if Neal continues to move the arm it should heal up in no time." He said, as he finished re bandaging the wound.

"I'll go get what you need from the nurse and be right back." He said, stepping out of the room.

"Happy?" Maddie asked as he helped Neal back into his shirt.

"You have no idea." Neal said, his smile growing more, if possible. Maddie smiled and laughed.

The doctor came back in a few seconds later and handed Maddie another stack of gauze and tape.

"This should get you through at least another week, I'll give you a call sometime around then and we'll have Neal come back in, if it seems to be healing as well as I think it is then we can probably forgo the bandages and we'll just be able to put something easier on it." He told Maddie. She nodded and took the supplies.

"We'll talk to you both soon." He said as they walked out into the waiting room. They smiled and offered goodbyes then caught a cab back home.

They walked back into June's house quietly, Neal flashing his brightest smile and holding Maddie's hand with his, now sling-less, arm. Really Maddie was happy for him but she knew he'd try to get away with doing to much and this just meant she'd have to really watch him, the last thing she needed was him injuring himself even more.

They reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner both of them stopping where they stood. The door to Neal's apartment was cracked open and Maddie knew he'd shut it behind them when they left. Neal glanced at her and pushed her behind him as they both walked up to the door slowly, he pulled it open and Maddie could feel him relax, she glanced around his shoulder to find Mozzie sitting at the kitchen table.

"Jesus Moz, after all that just went on in the past week you thought it was a good idea to break into my house?" Neal asked, his voice raised just a bit.

"I just wanted to prove a point." He said, the easy going tone of his voice making Neal a bit angrier.

"What point would that be?" He asked.

"That really your apartment isn't that difficult to break into, you should do something about that." Mozzie told him, a slight grin on his face.  
Maddie suppressed her giggles as she walked past Neal into the living room. He let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

"What do you want Moz?" He asked.

"Your Christmas present." Mozzie said, holding up a file and handing it to him, Neal nodded and took the file, sitting down across from Mozzie at the table.

"And the other thing you asked about," Mozzie glanced at Maddie who was busy fishing around in her bags.

"I am still working on it but I think we should be good to go." He finished,

"Thanks." Neal said, flipping the file open and glancing through it with great interest.

The day consisted of much of the same, Maddie lounged on the sofa reading and drawing while Neal and Mozzie sat at the kitchen table looking over the file Mozzie had given him. They had lunch somewhere in between and Maddie helped pay for dinner which was some kind of Thai take out that Maddie ended up actually enjoying.

Mozzie never left until around ten, both he and Neal seemed far to interested in whatever they were talking about to stop but eventually Maddie got tired and when she started getting ready for bed Mozzie made his exit, wishing both of them a goodnight.

Neal was still looking over the thick file when Maddie emerged from the bathroom, he didn't look up to acknowledge that she'd come back into the room so Maddie walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"So what's this?" She asked quietly.

"It's a long story." He said, flipping the pages over and closing the folder.

"You gonna tell me?" She questioned as he stood and moved into his bedroom.

He didn't answer right away; instead he picked up his clothes and walked into the bathroom silently to change.

Maddie sighed and shook her head; she knew he wouldn't tell her. She moved about the room, flipping off the lights and then crawling into Neal's bed, turning away from where he'd normally lay. She saw him come back into the room a few minutes later and she heard him sigh and crawl into bed next to her. It was silent for a few long minutes until Neal finally spoke up.

"Mozzie gets me the same thing every Christmas." He said quietly. Maddie rolled over to face him, signaling for him to continue.

"I told you I had an older brother, so every year Mozzie does some digging and finds out what he's been up to." Neal said.

"So why couldn't you tell me that?" She asked. He thought for a few seconds.

"I don't know." He told her.

"Why do you ask him to do that?" She asked instead.

"My family sucked, but I always looked up to my big brother, he helped me through a lot and when I ran away I knew I'd never see him again but then I met Moz and he has high connections. So every year I ask him to find out what my brother's doing, just so I can feel like I am part of his life, even though he probably doesn't remember me at all." Neal said.

"I am sure he remembers you Neal." Maddie said.

"He's a big investor for some corporeal company, with a wife and two kids, he's filthy rich and I am sure he doesn't have a care in the world, what would make you think he'd remember the little brother that ran away?" Neal asked.

"Because you said you looked up to him, that he helped you, you don't just forget things like that. I am sure he wonders where you are sometimes." She said.

Neal didn't answer and she could tell he didn't have much of an argument after what she'd said.

"Thank you for telling me." She told him, moving closer so she could kiss him.

"I love you." She said quietly, he smiled and pulled her close, gently using the arm that was still injured.

"Love you too." He told her, placing sweet small kisses across her jaw.

Maddie watched him as he pulled her close and began running his fingers through her hair, his bright blue eyes had darkened a bit but they still held a very playful spark and she smiled reaching her hand up to touch his face gently. His eyes met hers and there were a few unspoken words and then he smiled moving his face in close and pressing his lips back against hers, his injured arm holding her tight against him.

**Okay there you go, like always leave reviews please, the next chapter should be up soon!**

**~Tara~**


	32. Chapter 32

**Okay next chapter, were gonna be getting more into Neal and Maddie's relationship as the story draws to a close, basically just winding down, tying up loose ends all that stuff. Enjoy!**

Maddie woke up alone the next morning, it took her a few seconds to remember that it was Monday and Neal was back at work. She sighed and wrapped the blankets tighter around her, missing the warmth his body always held. She lay quietly for a while, staring up at the sky through the circular window across from where she lay. She thought for a while about everything that had happened in the past few weeks, she realized very suddenly that her life was moving fast. She'd finally gotten up the courage to leave home and moved in with Neal, who instead of just being friends with her, turned into someone she loved very much and truly cared about. She'd been kidnapped herself as had Neal and all of that had quite an effect on her.

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, all of this seriousness in her life was starting to give her a headache, she needed to do something relaxing, or something truly crazy, something on a whim that would just make her feel better and less stressed out.  
She let a small smile slip over her lips as she sank back into the pillows and let thoughts run through her head of all the things her and Neal could do together but then she shook her head. Honestly she didn't know if they were far enough into the relationship yet to do anything like that. Her lack of past boyfriends didn't help her much in trying to decide what to do about the situation. But she knew one thing, she loved what she had with Neal and she didn't want to lose it over something as stupid as having sex to early in their relationship. She sighed and decided she'd let Neal handle that subject, if he thought it was right and wanted to go through with it than she would be more than willing to follow.

After another hour of lying in bed Maddie finally forced herself up and she made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast. She glanced around subconsciously for a paper flower, expecting to see that Neal had left her a note, but instead she found a folded paper butterfly resting on the counter. She smiled and laughed to herself, then opened it carefully.

_Maddie, _

_Good morning love, I am off to work, I'll let Peter know you say hello. Get some breakfast and keep an eye out for Mozzie in case he decides to break into the apartment again, he's gonna come by a little later to help you out with something, sorry I can't give you more details but I am sure you two will have fun. I'll talk to you later tonight._

_XOXO,_

_Neal _

Maddie set the piece of paper off to the side, her mind quickly calculating all the things Mozzie could possibly want to help her with.

She continued to think things over while she ate breakfast and then some more as she pulled out her sketch pad and continued with what she was drawing last night.

By the time Mozzie arrived, around noon, she had no clue what he could possibly want.

"Grab your coat, let's go." He said, not even stepping inside.

"Go where?" Maddie asked, Mozzie sighed but smiled.

"Shopping." He said. Maddie gave him a questioning look but he just shrugged and motioned for her to grab her things. She did as he asked and pulled her coat on while slinging her purse over her shoulder, and then followed Mozzie down the stairs and out the front door.

"So you're taking me shopping?" Maddie asked as they walked down the street.

"Neal asked me to take you out shopping, he has some big thing planned, that I am not allowed to comment on, and he says you need a dress, so I am supposed to help you find one." Mozzie explained

"And he couldn't ask Elizabeth to do it?" She questioned. Mozzie shrugged.

"Not that I don't mind hanging out with you Moz, I just think Elizabeth is a bit more qualified to help me pick out a dress." She told him.

"Oh trust me, I completely agree with you. I think Neal's just doing this to get back at me for breaking into his apartment." He said. Maddie smiled and laughed.

"It's not like I took anything." He told her.

"I know Moz." She said, wrapping her arm around his and smiling when she felt him grab her hand.

The first store they went to was a bust; they barely spent any time at it because Mozzie insisted none of it suited Maddie's style. She smiled as she watched him flip through rack after rack of dresses, complaining about each one. In the end she pulled him out before he upset the clerks to much.

The next store was a bit better and Maddie found a few nice things but Mozzie still wasn't satisfied and so they moved on.

The third time was certainly the charm in this case. Maddie pulled him into a small boutique and stood back to watch as he glanced around the store, taking in the many racks of different colored dresses, then he looked back at her and nodded.

"Blue or Purple." He told her. She nodded.

"Let's get looking." She said, moving over to the rack of purple dresses while Mozzie took the blue rack.

She was thankful this store was color coded and she remembered that's why she went her often, it was easy to find something in a cretin color, you didn't have to look all over the store.

Maddie pulled out a few dresses from her rack but she was more impressed with the few Mozzie had given her.

She tried on the three she'd picked first. One was a floor length cocktail dress that ended up looking better on the hanger than it did on her. The other two were shorter, one with a lot of glitter which she ended up not caring for and the other was to plain for her liking.

The first dress she tried on out of the few Mozzie had pulled for her was the one. She knew it the instant she slipped it on.

It was a light blue silk, with thick sequined straps and a v cut neckline. Light blue sequins wrapped just below her bust and ran down both sides of the dress. It was beautiful really and she couldn't stop smiling. She peaked her head out of her dressing room to find Mozzie standing outside the room, looking around.

"Moz." She called, He turned his head and looked at her as she stepped outside, spinning around once, smiling.

"You picked well, I think this is it." She said walking up to him. He smiled brightly and nodded.

"It looks really nice." He said, and she could tell he was more than pleased.

"Well then that settles it, I'll go get changed and were out of here." She told him, She slipped back into the dressing room, changing and hanging the dress back up. She paid and thanked the lady who offered her the dress, wrapped up securely in a bag.

"You up for a little late lunch?" She asked as they left the store.

"Sure." He said, directing her to one of his favorite restaurants.

They sat quietly and ate, talking about their day. She tried pulling information out of him about Neal's surprise for her but he wasn't giving anything up, and really she didn't want to know, whatever it was it was better left as a surprise for now.

After they ate, Mozzie insisted on paying, which she let him do, and then they walked back to June's house.

"Thanks for going with me today Moz." She said, smiling at him.

"I know it's not really your thing but I think you did a pretty good job." She told him. He smiled and nodded.

"You're welcome." He said.

"Are you gonna stick around, I am sure Neal will wanna say hi." She asked, as they reached June's.

"No it's okay, I have some things to do anyway, he'll see me soon enough." He said. Maddie smiled and thought for a few quick seconds, then acted on impulse and pulled Mozzie in for a hug.

"Thanks Mozzie." She said. He wrapped his arms tentatively around her and then patted her back gently.

"It's no problem." He said, releasing her from the embrace and smiling at her.

"Let Neal know I say hey." He called to her as she turned for the door.  
"I will, see you later Moz." She called back, waving goodbye and then slipping inside.

She walked up to Neal's apartment with a smile on her face. She knew Mozzie wasn't really good with expressing his feelings, it took a lot just to get him to react to Neal being in the hospital, but Maddie had a fondness for the little guy, she wasn't quite sure why. There was just something about him that she knew she could trust and he was there for her when she had found out about Neal being kidnapped and she was beyond grateful for him at the time because she really needed someone then. Really she thought of him as something like an older brother, she'd never had siblings of her own. Mozzie was always there for her and he looked out for her, and she was really grateful for that.

She entered Neal's apartment, still quiet and empty, she hung the dress inside Neal's closet, knowing that if he knew what it was he'd not go peaking around since it was supposed to be a big surprise.

Then she poured herself a glass of wine and sat down to wait for Neal to come home.

Neal arrived a few hours later; Maddie was curled up on the sofa with a book in her hand. She turned to smile at him as he walked in, coming to sit down next to her with a sigh.

"Have a good day?" He asked, she nodded and leaned into his embrace.

"Yeah it was a lot of fun." She said.

"And Mozzie helped you find a dress?"

"Yes he actually found me a very pretty dress; he did quite a good job." She told him. Neal smiled and nodded.

"Why did you ask him to help me find a dress?" She questioned.

"Because it would keep him out of trouble for a day, and also because he broke into my apartment last night so he deserved a bit of payback." He said with a laugh.

"Well we had fun, and he says hello." She leaned up to give him a quick kiss then let her head rest gently on his shoulder.

"And your day?" She questioned.

"Boring, lot's of paperwork and listening to your Uncle complain." He said, Maddie laughed.

"Well sorry your day was crummy." She offered, shooting a smile up at him.

"It's okay; I get to come home to you so that makes it better." He told her. Maddie looked at him honestly for a few seconds then smiled, reaching her hand up to cup his face and kiss him again.

She wasn't sure what to say after that, she didn't feel like words were appropriate at the moment so instead she stood up and pulled Neal over to the kitchen where they made dinner together.

"You didn't use your arm to much today did you?" She asked as they ate.

"No, I told you Peter only let me sit around doing paperwork all day, I sat around looking at files and making copies, noting overly strenuous I promise." He said, Maddie nodded, figuring she could trust him, he knew what would happen if he disobeyed what the doctor told him he could do.

The rest of dinner was quiet and Neal offered to do the dishes for her so she went to change, wrapping herself in an old jacket as she glanced at the snow that had begun to fall outside.

She sat on the couch drawing when Neal finished and he kissed her head gently as he walked past, grabbing some clothes and then moving into the bathroom.

She'd almost finished up her third sketch for her showcase, proud of how it had turned out since it was mostly by memory, when Neal emerged from the bathroom. Changed out of his suit and his hair still damp from the shower, he sat down next to her again and pulled her close. She'd closed her sketch book by then and he smirked at her, knowing that the theme of her showcase was to be a surprise so she didn't want anyone to see what she was drawing.

"How's it coming?" he asked, pointing at the pad on the coffee table in front of them.

"Good, I've done three so far, I have two more to go." She said, Neal nodded.

"I can't wait to see um." He said with a smile.

They didn't talk for a while, just sat in the quiet, Neal's arms wrapped around her snugly and her head resting against his chest. She loved moments like this, where they didn't have to talk, they could just be in the moment.

It was around ten when Neal finally whispered to her that they should get some sleep and Maddie complied, feeling exhaustion slipping over her.

They crawled into the bed and Neal scooped her up again, his arms wrapping tightly around her.  
Maddie looked up into his eyes and smiled.

"I love you ya know." She said as she read the emotions in his eyes.

"I know, and I love you too." He said back.

A few more minutes of silence passed before Neal spoke up again.  
"Maddie I wanna tell you something." He said, she looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I know you've been looking for a place of your own but, I mean you don't have to if you don't want to. You practically live here already and I am okay with it if you are." He said, his eyes expressing honesty.

"Neal are you sure, I mean that's a lot to ask when we've only known each other for two months." She said.

"I know, I know it's fast but I mean it's not like we were living in separate places for those two months, we've been together almost all the time, and you are already sharing my bed so I think that's a pretty big step as well." He said with a slight smirk.

"I am sharing your bed to sleep in." She corrected him.

"We can fix that problem very easily if you'd like." He told her, his voice dropping low. She smiled but shook her head.

"Not now, I am serious though, you really think me moving in her permanently is the best thing? I mean what if we have a fight, and we just need some space, who's gonna go where?" She asked, He shrugged.

"There's a whole city out there, and if it's something really bad and you just need some space for a few days there's always Peter and Elizabeth's." He offered. She didn't say anything so he continued.

"I've just seen how stressed you've been about getting a house and it really doesn't bother me if you live here permanently, I don't think anything would change drastically, I just don't want you worrying about pricing and renting and all that stuff when you could easily just split rent with me and live here." He said.

She nodded slowly and let the thoughts run through her head.

"I'll think about it okay?" She said, he smiled and nodded, kissing her again.

"Now about that other issue." He said, she felt him smile against her lips and she laughed.

"I am not qualified to get anywhere near that issue, I've never had a boyfriend steady enough to worry about it, so that can be your decision." She told him. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

"Okay." He said, then kissed her sweetly and leaned back, letting her lay her head against his chest and close her eyes.

She hadn't expected him to go right for it, that wasn't how Neal was. He was a gentleman, he was probably formulating some hugely romantic plan of how to make their first time together special. And really that was what she loved about him, that he actually thought about her needs as well as his own and most often put her needs in front of his, you didn't find guys like that anymore.  
She smiled and kissed his chest gently, whispering I love you, and falling asleep.

**So like I said, things are gonna start winding down now that were nearing the end of the story, not so much drama and craziness. But how awesome was Mozzie taking Maddie shopping? honestly Mozzie is my favorite person of all time to write for, I just love it. But enough gushing from me, send in those reviews please! **

**and if you follow my YouTube channel (the link to it is in my profile) I posted a quick new video, just sending out an update, so check it out if you'd like, thanks!**

**~Tara~**


	33. Chapter 33

**Okay so this is a big one, however it's the "New Year's" chapter, a little late but here it is. Enjoy it!**

The rest of the week went by horribly slow, Maddie was happy that her school was still on holiday break which meant she didn't have class on Monday however she continued to work on her drawings, making sure that they were perfect for the showcase.

Neal was back at work so she was alone for most of the day, Mozzie came to visit often though which she enjoyed and they'd always end up having very interesting conversations.

She spent the day with Elizabeth on Wednesday and had a pretty intense conversation about Maddie's living arrangements.

"Why do you have to question it Maddie, if he wants you to move in with him then do it." She said, shaking her head at her niece's worries.

"Because what if it's to early and we end up having some huge fight, where am I supposed to go then?" She asked.

"You'll come here, there's a guest bedroom. Just think about it Maddie, why go to all the trouble of finding a place of your own and paying all the rent yourself, when you can move in with Neal, pay half the rent and you're not living by yourself." Elizabeth said. Maddie sighed and shook her head.

"I just don't know." She said truthfully.

"You're already basically living with him, you realize that right?" She pointed out.

"Yes, but it's not the same if I actually move in. right now my stuff is in boxes and I am not tied down to anything. If I move in its official, things are unpacked, that's my home." Maddie argued.

"What's so bad about that, you love him don't you?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Of course I do."

"Then why is this such a hard decision?"

Elizabeth looked at her and smiled when she didn't come up with another argument.

They spent the rest of the day discussing New Years plans and Elizabeth seemed intrigued about the surprise Neal had in store for her.

"So your assuming it's something to do with New Years?" She asked Maddie.

"I guess so, I mean he had Mozzie take me out to get a fancy dress and everything, I am not sure what else that would be for." She commented.

"Mozzie took you out for a dress?" Elizabeth asked, holding back laughter.

"Yes, and he did a very good job, the dress is beautiful." Maddie said. Elizabeth smiled and nodded.

"Well I guess it could be a New Years thing, but you know Neal, he loves a party." She said, Maddie nodded in agreement.

Peter and Neal were back at the house a little after five and after a few quick goodbyes he and Maddie took a cab back to Junes.

Thursday was horribly long; Maddie sat around all day wondering what Neal could possibly have in store for her. She was never really a fan of surprises but she figured in this case she'd just have to trust Neal.

The evening was quiet and Neal didn't let anything slip about what he had planned, but he continually had a smile on his face so whatever it is Maddie figured it was bound to be pretty amazing.

New Year's Eve finally came, Neal had work early, assuring her it was just filling out paperwork for a bit and then he'd be back home. So she gave him a kiss and he went on his way. She moved about the apartment for a while, making breakfast and getting a quick shower. Neal never got back home till after noon and he found her relaxing on the sofa, sketch pad in hand.

"Good afternoon." He said, giving her a quick kiss.

"How was work?" She asked.

"Horrible, but it's done for the day." He told her, Maddie knew he hated paperwork days.

"I'll be right back." He said, grabbing some clothes and slipping into the bathroom.

"So what are our plans for tonight?" She asked a few hours later.

"Not much, probably just staying in, we can watch the ball drop and all that nonsense." He said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Not a fan of New Years?" She asked, he shrugged.

"To much chaos if you ask me." He said. She nodded and dropped the conversation, figuring whatever Neal had in store for her it must not have to do with New Years at all.

It was around eight o'clock when Neal's cell phone went off, Maddie let him slip her from his embrace and take the call. He came back a few minutes later with a smile on his face.

"Mozzie's downstairs, he says he wants to talk to you about something." He said, Maddie gave him a questioning glance.

"Can't he come up here?" She asked.

"I don't know, it's Mozzie, you shouldn't question." He said, Maddie nodded, that was true. She sighed and stood up from the sofa walking downstairs to join Mozzie in the living room.

"What's up?" She asked, as he guided her over to one of the plush sofas.

"You said you were looking for a house, I have a few places available I wanted to show you." He said, pulling out some pictures.

"Oh, that's great Mozzie but-" He cut her off, pushing the first picture at her.

"This one is my favorite, I called him Friday." Mozzie mused, Maddie glance at him curiously.

"Why?"

"Because I was usually there on Saturdays." He told her, Maddie didn't respond, just nodded and glanced at the picture in her hand.

The house was pretty large, and looked to be somewhere near a beach.

"Where is this at?" She asked, Mozzie glanced around the room, and then turned back to her.

"It's near Jersey." He said, she nodded and took the next picture he offered.

This house was significantly smaller but it didn't look like it was located anywhere she wanted to stay.

"And this one's name?" She asked.

"No name for this one, I wasn't there that long." He said, she could understand why, it didn't exactly look like a nice spot.

The next photo was nicer. The house looked like a small beach cottage; she could see the ocean behind it.

"This one's nice." She said, he nodded.

"Another of my favorites." He told her.

"Um, look Mozzie this is all really great but Neal offered to let me move into his apartment, permanently." She said, Mozzie didn't exactly look surprised, he just nodded.

"Okay, that's good because most of these houses were taken over by government resources anyway." He said, snatching the pictures from her hand and placing them back into his bag.

"Then why'd you show them to me?" She asked, He glanced around nervously, and then gave a quick nod.

"No reason, I'll let you go." He said, standing up and leaving.

Maddie sat still for a while, still trying to comprehend what had just happened, finally she just shook her head and made her way back upstairs.  
She walked into the apartment to find it dark and empty.

"Neal?" She called, expecting to see him as she glanced over at his bed but he was nowhere to be found.  
She walked over to the coffee table, reaching down to grab the small folded flower that lay on top of it.

_Maddie, _

_Slip on the dress Mozzie picked for you and head downstairs._

Was all it said, there wasn't even a signature at the bottom like normal. She sighed and sat the note back down, walking over to the dresser and pulling out the dress she bought earlier that week. She changed quickly, giving herself a once over in the full length mirror, then smiling to herself as she reached for one of her suitcases, pulling out the purple and blue jeweled hair comb Mozzie had given her for Christmas. She pushed her hair back over one shoulder and pushed the comb into her hair, pulling it back on one side. After she was sure it was in place right, she reached for the paperclip bracelet Neal had found and fixed for her, smiling when she realized the blue ribbon that was woven through it matched her dress pretty well.

She checked herself over again in the mirror and once she was pleased with her appearance she slipped on a pair of heals, grabbed her jacket and left.

She walked downstairs, smiling as she got to the landing.

"Your car's this way." Mozzie said smiling at her.

"Thank you." She said, letting him lead her to the door.

"Oh and Maddie." He said, looking up at her, she was a bit taller now with heals on.

"You look lovely." He said, She smiled and pulled him in for a quick hug.

"Thank you Mozzie." She said, taking his arm and walking out with him to the black limo that waited outside.

"How did you get this?" She asked, as he opened the door for her.

"Neal helped." Was all he said, she shook her head and slid into the back seat, Mozzie shut the door behind her and then moved into the driver's seat.

The more they drove the more Maddie questioned where they were going. It only took a few minutes to get into the heart of Manhattan and then Times Square. The people became so thick and eventually barricades stopped them from going any further.

"You see that hotel up there?" Mozzie said, pointing to a fancy hotel two blocks up.

"Go in there and tell the lady at the front desk that you're here for George Devore." He told her.

"George?" She asked, Mozzie nodded.

"It's okay I promise." He said, Maddie sighed and slipped out of the car.

"Have fun!" He called to her, as he took the detour out of Times Square. Maddie walked the two blocks quickly, slipping in through the doors of the fancy hotel and up to the front desk. A pretty blonde lady smiled up at her.  
"Hello." She said.  
"Hi, um, I am here for George Devore." She said, praying that whatever this plan was it would work. The lady smiled brightly and nodded.

"You must be Maddie." She said.

"Yeah."

She swore she saw a bit of jealousy flash in the ladies eyes but she let it slide.  
"Top floor." She said simply, pointing at the elevators.  
"Thank you." Maddie said, offering another smile and then moving into an open elevator.

She pushed the button for the top floor and let the doors slide shut.

Once she was alone she shook her head and laughed, this had to be the craziest thing she'd ever done.

It took a few good seconds to reach the top floor of the building and as she stepped out she noticed a piece of paper with an arrow drawn on it and the initials G.D scrawled at the bottom. Maddie sighed and followed where the arrow led.

Two more arrows later and she was at a metal door, a piece of paper stuck to it with a flower drawn on it and the initials N.C across the bottom. Maddie smiled and pushed the door open.  
She knew where she was instantly and she smiled as she walked the few steps up to the roof.

She stood still for a moment, taking it all in. in front of her, sat a huge canopy, curtains hung down around it, blocking her view of what was inside but she had a pretty good idea. Lights were strung all around the canopy and there was a small fire going in a pit in front of where the canopy sat. She walked up slowly, shaking her head the whole time at how crazy this all was. Finally Neal emerged from inside the canopy, flashing the biggest, brightest grin she'd ever seen.

"Happy New Year." He said, holding a hand out for her.

"You're crazy." She said, taking his hand and letting him lead her inside the canopy, finding lot's of plush patio furniture.

"You look beautiful." He said, pulling her in for a kiss.

"You too." She said, glancing over his attire, he'd chosen to go classic, wearing a black suit that fit him perfectly and a clean white shirt with a black tie.

"Would you like to see our view?" He asked, turning her around so she could see out over the rooftop. Her jaw dropped in amazement, the huge video screens and billboards of Times Square were all in sharp focus up here, and only a few feet away spun the crystal ball that would help them ring in the New Year in a few hours.

"This is amazing." She said quietly, very taken aback by all of it.

"I am glad you like it." He said, the smile still lingering on his face. She turned around to look at him.

"How did you pull all this off?" She asked.

"Mozzie helped, a lot." He admitted.

"It's wonderful."

He walked her under the canopy and popped open the bottle of champagne that waited for them, handing her a glass. Then he sat down with her on one of the plush patio benches and wrapped an arm snugly around her.

"You really do look lovely." He said. She smiled.

"Mozzie did well."

"Yeah he did." Neal agreed.

They chatted thought the night, watched the lights of Times Square and listened to the crowd down below.

When it got close to midnight Neal lead her to the edge of the building, close enough that they could see the sea of people below them and watch as the ball made its final decent.

Maddie could feel the energy, even though she wasn't in the crowd, all the noise made her feel like she was right in the heart of it.

A minute to go,

Neal wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her in close and smiled down at her.

Thirty seconds,

Maddie smiled back at him, thanking him for making this the most amazing night of her life.

Fifteen seconds,

He let her know the night was far from over.

Ten seconds,

She smirked up at him, and then returned her eyes to the crowd.

Five seconds,

They both joined in with the chanting of the people below, counting down the last few seconds before the New Year began.

Four

Three

Two

One.

The crowd screamed below and Maddie could faintly hear the tune of Auld Langsyne being sung below.

Neal turned her around and pulled her in for a sweet kiss, which she swiftly returned.

"Happy New Year." He said, she smiled and kissed him again.

"Happy New Year."

She let her head rest against his shoulder and listened to him hum along with the song, swaying her back and forth a bit.

They stayed that way for a while, until the crowd started to thin out below and things quieted down.

"You ready?" he asked, stepping back inside the canopy and grabbing her coat.

"For what?" She accepted her coat and wrapped her arm around his, following him back down the stairs and into the hotel.

"The fun part." He said, smiling as they slipped into the elevator.

Maddie didn't question anymore, just followed where he went. They walked a few blocks before they finally reached a pretty upscale looking club, complete with velvet ropes and a bouncer.

"Where are we?" She asked, he didn't answer just smiled and winked.

"Wait here." He said, leaving her a few people down the line.

She watched very carefully as he walked up to the bouncer at the door and talked to him, she couldn't tell what he was saying but it didn't look like they would have any trouble getting in. Whoever the man was he was laughing along with whatever Neal was saying and nodding as Neal returned, taking Maddie's hand in his own and leading her in through the doors.

"What did you do?" She questioned.

"We go way back, don't worry about it." He told her. She nodded and he led her to a booth in a far corner.

The club was dark but bright lights shown on the wooden dance floor in the middle of the building. Plush chairs and tables surrounded the floor and a small stage sat at the front of all of it.

Neal ordered two drinks and then wrapped his arm closely around Maddie, smiling at most of the people who came in.

"Do they know you?" She asked finally.

"Some of them do." He said, waving at another man who entered.

"How?"

"I used to come here a lot back before everything that happened with Peter happened." He said, smiling at a few ladies.

Maddie nodded at his response.

A few minutes later a man who looked to be a few years older than Neal walked up to their table, carrying their drinks, he sat them down and then smiled brightly.

"Neal Caffrey." He said, reaching out to shake Neal's hand.

"It's been quite a while." He added.

"Prison, you know how it is." Neal said, shrugging and laughing.

"How you been James?" He asked, taking a sip from his drink.

"Not to bad, keepin this joint afloat." James said, gesturing to the building.

"And Lisa?" Neal asked.

"Eh, Lisa is Lisa, what can I say right. But she's doing okay." James said with a laugh.

"However, this is not the same pretty lady you were in here with the last time, although they do sort of look the same." He said, glancing at Maddie.

She instantly knew he was talking about Kate and Neal seemed to freeze.

"No, um, Kate." He stopped and searched for words.

"Kate was killed, a year ago." He said finally.

"Oh man, I am sorry." James said, putting a friendly hand on Neal's shoulder.

"Can I ask what happened?" He said, Maddie glanced at Neal.

"Uh, it's a big messy story James, not anything to talk about right now." Neal said, James nodded, understanding.

"Yeah, I am sorry man; don't dwell on it though, especially not tonight, it's a new year." James said, the smile coming back to his face. Neal nodded.

"And it's nice to meet you." James said, holding out his hand.

"Maddie." She said, a smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you Maddie, keep an eye on this one eh? Trouble maker if I remember right." He said, shooting a smile at Neal.

Maddie laughed and nodded.

"Have a good night you two." James said, then with one last smile, headed back to the bar.

"You alright?" Maddie asked once he was gone.

"Yeah, yeah I am okay." He said, smiling and leaning in for another kiss.

Maddie smiled back and leaned into his shoulder, listening to the sounds of jazz filter through the building as the band started to play.

They chatted for a while, Neal explained who James was, an old friend from long ago who let him hide out in the club whenever Peter got to close. He knew about Kate and had often helped her a time or two when Neal wasn't around. He was a good friend and Neal was happy to see him again.

"You wanna dance?" He asked, gesturing to the floor. Maddie smiled and laughed.

"Sure why not?" She said. So Neal took her hand and let her out onto the floor among a few other couples who had decided to dance.

Neal spun her around once and then pulled her into his arms, passing a glance to the band.

They finished the jazz set they were on and then quieted down.

"We got a request here for a little classic Frank Sinatra. Men grab your ladies and get out on the floor." The lead singer announced, then he turned around and motioned to the band who started playing the opening notes to _Come Fly With Me_.

Maddie smiled and Neal pulled her in close.

They danced the whole way through the song, spinning and dipping and Neal held her close in his arms the whole time.

As the song ended the place erupted into cheers and the band started up on another Frank Sinatra classic.

Neal smiled but led her back to the table, taking a break. Maddie walked with him back to their seat, laughing in surprise at the guest that had joined them.

"Mozzie!" She said, slipping in next to him, Neal following after.

"Did you have a good night?" He asked.

"It was so wonderful, thank you. Thank you both." She said, holding on to both their hands and smiling.

They sat together for a while, laughing and enjoying each other's company. Neal took her out to dance a few more times and after much persuasion Mozzie joined Maddie on the dance floor as well, by this time Maddie had kicked her heals off so she was about the same height as Mozzie again.

Neal watched closely as Mozzie spun her around and Maddie laughed, smiling brightly as Mozzie danced with her.

Once the song was finished he lead her back to the table and she begged Neal for another dance which he agreed to, swearing it would be the last one since it was going on two o'clock.

They made their way out onto the dance floor and Neal smiled over at the band once again. The music slowed and Neal pulled Maddie close, smiling sweetly as the lead singer started a rendition of Frank Sinatra's, _Someone to Watch over Me._

Maddie smiled up at him and let him kiss her, then pull her in close so she could rest her head against his chest. She closed her eyes contentedly and let Neal sway her to the soft beat, all the while quietly singing along in her ear.

She didn't realize when the song had ended, but eventually Neal glanced down at her, smiled, kissed her and then slowly walked her back to the table.

The next few moments sped by and exhaustion seemed to sweep over her fast. Mozzie walked with them to the door and gave her a hug, telling her he'd see her later, then he smiled at Neal and went on his way. Neal hailed them a taxi and she slid in next to him, laughing all the way back to Junes as he spoke quietly into her ear.

June's house was dark when they stumbled in a little after two in the morning. They made their way upstairs and Neal stepped in front of her to open the door to the apartment. Maddie stepped in slowly, her eyes widening at the scene in front of her. The ceiling lights were darkened but the room was illuminated by what had to be almost a hundred candles, sitting everywhere there was an empty space in the apartment. Some were on the mantle of the fireplace, a bunch were stacked in the middle of the kitchen table, the coffee table in the living room and a few were littered on the bookcase. Neal smiled at her reaction.

"Mozzie." He said, answering the question that had been floating around her head since she walked in. she made a mental note to thank Mozzie later for being so amazing.

Neal lead her further into the apartment, making sure the door was closed and locked behind them. She gave him a quick questioning glance but then smiled as she saw the look in his eyes.

"I wanted to thank you for an amazing time tonight." He said, stepping in front of her.

"I should be thanking you; it was your surprise for me after all." She told him.

"True, but I think we both enjoyed it equally." He said with a smile.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked, she nodded and watched him move over to the counter to poor them both a drink. Meanwhile she walked over to the balcony doors, staring at the lights of the city outside.

She didn't even know he was behind her until she felt his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her close.

She felt her pulse quicken a bit as he let his lips linger against her neck.

"You did all this for me?" She asked quietly, finally asking it out loud for the first time.

"I did it for us." He whispered, she closed her eyes and smiled.

"I love you Maddie, I wanted tonight to be perfect." He continued.

"I am not gonna push you into anything though, if you'd rather not we don't have to." He said, she could tell he meant it, she could hear it in his voice, but really she'd been wanting this for quite a while, and if he'd gone to all this trouble to make everything perfect, she wasn't going to ruin that.

The events after that sped by. It was beautiful and perfect and more than Maddie could have ever asked for. She realized a few things that night. First and foremost that Neal was amazing in bed, and she let a small, sly smile grace her lips as she thought of that. Second that he was the kindest man she'd ever met. And that third, she loved him very much, and she knew he felt the same.

The heat still coming off their bodies warmed her and she could feel herself drifting off, but she opened her eyes slowly and looked into his own. He knew what she wanted to say, so he moved his lips onto her own, kissing her with a fierce passion and then sweetly until he broke away to breath.

"I love you so much." He told her, she smiled and brought her hand up to his face, brushing a few stray locks of hair away from his eyes and then letting her hand rest on his cheek.

"I love you too." She said quietly, leaning back in for another kiss.  
He ran a hand down her arm, wrapping their fingers together he brought her hand up to his face, kissing the back of it, and up to the shiny paperclip bracelet that hung around her wrist. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

She wanted to say something, but words wouldn't come to her, so instead she silently watched as he kissed the thin layer of skin on the underside of her wrist, and then gently moved his lips down her arm, until they came to rest back against her cheek. He kissed her sweetly, keeping his hand wrapped around her own.  
She sighed peacefully and let her eyes drift closed, falling asleep right where she belonged, wrapped in Neal's safe embrace.

**So, lot's went down. um, obviously the first thing I want to comment on is that since the story has a low rating I couldn't go into detail about the ending there, I assume you all realize what went down. I did write an unedited version of that part of this chapter, I'll probably post it sometime soon for you all to read if you'd like, i'd expect it up by the time I post the next chapter. it will be rated M so it won't be on the front page you'll have to go looking for it. However it's not heavy porn quality so if that kind of thing turns you off don't worry, I kept it classy. but we can discuss that when I actually post it. **

**In other news, if you'd like to see what Maddie's dress looks like there is a link to a picture on my profile, there's also a link to the hair comb Mozzie gave her that she wore in this chapter. So check those out if you like!**

**Other than that, just get those reviews in, thanks so much!**

**~Tara~**


	34. Chapter 34

**Sorry I am a little late to post this one, caught a pretty nasty cold bug and it left me with an ear infection so I've been kinda run down the past few days, but here's the next chapter!**

The morning came far to early for either of them. Neal had let Maddie fall asleep before he slipped from her embrace and walked around the apartment, blowing out all the candles then slipping back into bed. Maddie woke up around 6, dim sunlight pouring in over her face, making her roll over and hide her eyes against Neal's chest, determined to fall back asleep because she was so tired.

She didn't wake up again until nine and by that time Neal was awake as well, holding her close and kissing her hair softly.

"Morning." He said quietly. She smiled and mumbled a good morning back before letting him kiss her, smiling at the warmth it brought her heart.

"As much as I'd like to stay in bed all day, and believe me, I'd like to stay in bed all day." He said, kissing her sweetly again.

"Mozzie called a few hours ago saying he wants to come check up on you. Apparently he thinks you were sort of out of it last night and he wants to make sure your okay." Neal said, his hands lingering on her hips, Maddie smiled and nodded.

"I suppose we should get dressed first." She commented plainly, looking down at their bodies wrapped in the sheets. Neal laughed and smiled.

"Yeah that'd probably be a good idea." He said, pulling her up out of bed and then into his embrace.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear, She kissed him and grabbed some clothes.

"Love you too." She said, then slipped out of his arms and into the bathroom.

Breakfast was already made when she emerged a while later, she thanked Neal and let him get into the bathroom after her. She sat down to eat, pushing her wet hair off her forehead.

Neal moved back into the kitchen a few minutes later and sat down at the table with her, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Should we go see Peter and El today?" She asked. He thought for a while then shrugged.

"We can if you want." He said. Maddie nodded.

"I guess we could always invite them here, we did go to their place for Christmas." She mused.

"That's true."

She nodded and stood up from the table, pulling her cell phone out of her purse and calling Elizabeth.

"She said they'll be over in a few hours, she'll call when their on the way." Maddie said, rejoining Neal at the table.

They finished up breakfast and Neal helped Maddie with the dishes. After that it was just a waiting game until Mozzie arrived a while later.

"So how was the rest of your night?" he asked, and Maddie could tell there was a hint of knowing in his eyes.

"It was very nice." She said, smiling to herself as Neal watched her from across the table.

"How about you?" Maddie asked.

"Oh it was fine, I really just went home and slept, I am not exactly used to staying up that late." Mozzie said. Neal rolled his eyes but nodded.

Peter and Elizabeth arrived a while later, El had brought dishes for dinner which made Mozzie extremely happy.

Neal insisted that his apartment was to small for a party so they moved downstairs into the lush living room. Maddie and Elizabeth took a seat on the sofa while Neal, Peter and Mozzie sat at one of the small tables and talked.

"So how was last night?" Elizabeth asked. A blush rose up instantly in Maddie's cheeks and she smiled.

"It was wonderful." She said. Elizabeth smiled.

"Well tell me about it." She prompted.

Maddie explained everything to her, about the dress and how Mozzie drove her to the hotel. About Neal's rooftop surprise and how he took her to the jazz club after and they danced for what seemed like hours.

"Wow, sounds like quite a night." Elizabeth said.

"Yeah, it was." Maddie said, trying as hard as she could to hide the dreamy tone from her voice.

"There's something else though, I can tell." She said. Maddie smirked and avoided her gaze for a few seconds, feeling the blush creeping up her skin again.

She didn't need to say anything though, Elizabeth was quick to realize.

"Oh my god! You two got lucky didn't you?" She said quietly. Maddie gawked.

"El, jeez!" She said, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"That's private." She continued.

"Oh come on, you can totally tell. I am surprised I didn't notice it right away, I mean your practically glowing." Elizabeth said.

"Stop it, I am not glowing." She said, shooting a quick look over in Neal's direction to make sure they couldn't hear.

"I am sorry hon, but that's so sweet, I mean he did all that for you." Elizabeth said a dreamy look in her own eyes.

"He was a gentleman about it though right? I mean I don't have to go over there and scold him or anything?" she continued quickly.

"No, no, he was the perfect gentleman. He was really sweet about it." Maddie said, the smile coming back to her face. Elizabeth squealed silently.  
"Can you at least tell me a little about it?" She begged. Maddie rolled her eyes.

"Well, there were lots of candles, and, I mean, everything was just perfect, he was just gentle and sweet and it was wonderful." Maddie said. Elizabeth smiled and sighed.

"You know I love Peter, and don't tell him I ever told you this, but sometimes I wish some of Neal's romantic side would rub off on him." She said. Maddie laughed.

"I mean don't get me wrong, I adore Peter, and he does such nice things for me, but I've never had a night quite like that." She said, looking over to Maddie.

"So you two are moving in together?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think I am gonna do it." Maddie confessed.

"Have you told Neal yet?"

"No, not yet, but I am going to." She said.

Elizabeth nodded and they went back to quietly sipping their drinks.

The group ate an early dinner together and then moved back up to Neal's apartment to end the night. Maddie was sitting in the living room with Neal and Elizabeth, being entertained by Mozzie when she realized Peter was missing. She glanced around and saw him standing out on the balcony. She smiled and excused herself, slipping out of the room un noticed, the laughter fading behind her as she closed the doors quietly.

"Enjoying the view?" She asked, walking up behind him. He turned to her and smiled.

"It is beautiful." She nodded and joined him.

"So, new year's resolution?" She questioned, looking up at him. He laughed.

"Keep your boyfriend out of trouble." He said dryly. She laughed with him.

"You might want to pick a more attainable goal." She said with a smile. Peter shook his head.

"Well then how about just doing what I do every year." He said. Maddie gave him a questioning look.

"Keep people safe."

She nodded and smiled.

"That sounds pretty good."

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a hug.

"How about you?" he asked. She sighed and thought.

"I don't know, probably just something like, get my life in order." She said with a laugh.

"Elizabeth told me about your job mix up."

"I have a few more interviews next week so we'll see where it goes." She told him.

"And, you and Neal?" He questioned.

"You really want to know?"  
He laughed.

"No, but I thought it would be polite to ask." She joined in his laughter.

"We're fine, he's behaving." She told him.

"How's he doing, with,"  
"Kate?" She finished for him. Peter nodded.  
"Okay I guess." She said with a shrug.

"He doesn't talk about it much anymore, at least not with me."

"Of course that doesn't mean he's not talking about it with Mozzie." She continued.

"Well, just so long as nothing drastic happens, I'll pretend it's not a big deal." He said.

"How about you, are you doing okay, the whole being kidnapped thing?" He asked.

"I am better, I still have bad dreams from time to time but there not as bad as they used to be. Neal's helping a lot." She admitted, Peter nodded.

"I don't blame you ya know." She said, wrapping her arm around Peter as well.

"I never thought you did." He said, glancing out at the skyline.

"That's not true." He sighed.

"It wasn't anyone's fault Peter." She told him.  
"I know Neal likes to think it was his fault, he thinks that a lot. But it wasn't, and it's not your fault either." She finished. He smiled down at her.

"You know you've really matured in the past few months." He said.

"Well being kidnapped is a bit of a wake up call." She said with a laugh.

"Just so long as you stay out of trouble from now on." He said.

Maddie shrugged.

"Neal and I keep each other out of trouble, or at least we try to." She said, making Peter laugh.

"I love you ya know." He said, hugging her again.  
"I know, I love you too Uncle Peter." She said sarcastically. He laughed and smiled.

"You're missin the party." The two turned around to find Neal stepping out on the balcony.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." He said, holding up his hands.

"Yeah you did." Peter said plainly. Neal shrugged.

"You're right, I did, I needed to talk with Maddie and I saw you were holding her hostage out here." He said. Peter shook his head.  
"I'll leave you two alone." He gave Maddie a quick kiss on the cheek and then walked back inside.

"What's up?" She asked, once the door was closed. He walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms.

"First of all, Elizabeth has been staring at me for the past two hours so I assume you told her about last night." He said, a sly smile playing on his lips.  
"I didn't tell her anything, she figured it out." Maddie told him. He nodded and gave her a quick kiss.

"Second, she said I was supposed to come talk to you about your living arrangements?" He said. Maddie nodded and glanced through the windows at Elizabeth who was smiling in her direction and nodding.

"I wanted to tell you that I would be happy to move in with you." She said, smiling up at him. He nodded and let his smile grow to full blast, she laughed and kissed him.

"You knew I would though didn't you?" She asked.

"I figured you would, I just didn't know when." He admitted.

He pulled her in for another kiss, wrapping his arms tighter around her in the cold.

"Happy new year." He whispered against her lips. She smiled and nodded.

"A new year."

Peter and Elizabeth left an hour later, giving many hugs and well wishes before they did. Maddie then sat down with Mozzie at the kitchen table while Neal retreated to the living room, delving into a few books.

"I should thank you for last night." She said, smiling at Mozzie whose eyes instantly grew.  
"Um, no, Neal was the one you should thank." He corrected.

"No, he told me you helped set it all up." She said. He nodded.

"Thank you Mozzie, for everything." She said, taking his hand in her own. He smiled and tentatively pulled her into a hug. She smiled brightly and hugged him back.

Neal joined them a while later and they chatted until Mozzie insisted he had to leave. After that Maddie curled herself up on one end of the couch while Neal went around cleaning up dishes from dinner, he insisted on doing it himself.  
She was flipping through her sketch book when he walked back into the room.

"Everything ready for your showcase?" he asked as she sat the book down.

"I think so, I keep going over everything but I think it's okay the way it is." She said.

"You know I could take a look at um."

"Yes but then it wouldn't be a surprise would it?" She said, a smirk playing across her lips. He nodded and kissed her.

He pulled her close and let her rest against him as he held her gently.

"I am happy you decided to stay." He said quietly. She smiled to herself.

"Well you were right; I am practically living here anyway." She said.

"Yeah but that's not why you decided to say yes." He told her.

"Oh really, then why did I say yes?" She asked, looking up at him. A look of panic flashed across his face as he quickly tried to think of an answer.

"I don't know." He said finally.

"But it had to be something more than just that."

She thought for a while about her own reasoning. What had been that deciding factor that made her want to move in, for good.

"It's because I trust you, I know you'll always be there to protect me." She said. He nodded and smiled, kissing her again.

"Can I ask you something though?" She said. Neal nodded and looked down at her.

"Are you sure you're okay with all of this. I mean I know, everything about-" She stopped and searched for words.

"Kate has nothing to do with his." He assured her.

"But it's not gonna bother you? I mean I assume she was the last serious relationship you had, you're okay to move on like this?" She asked.

"I think its past time for me to let it go. I did love Kate, but she's not here. I am working to get her justice and that's the best I can do." He said.

"But I love you now, and you're here, and I don't want to lose you." He continued. She smiled, feeling the small pricks of tears forming in her eyes.

"You helped me realize a lot of things in the past few months Maddie, and one of those things is that it's time for me to let go. Kate was someone I loved, and she'll always be a memory but that's it. And I can't let her memory get in the way of something, or someone, I care about now."

She smiled and let a few small tears fall, which he promptly brushed away.

He didn't speak after that, just stood up with her, led her over to the bed and laid down with her, pulling her in close and whispering in her ear sweetly.

"I love you Maddie." He said softly, she smiled and kissed him.

"I love you too." She said back, kissing him once more and letting their heads rest together, her deep brown eyes meeting his bright blue ones.

She saw the honesty there and she let her heart swell.

Never in her life did she expect this outcome when she decided she was going to give this relationship a chance. She simply saw a few weeks of romance and then a joint decision to move on, but she'd truly fallen for Neal and as she lay here now, wrapped in his arms and looking into his eyes she could tell he had fallen for her too.

It was almost magical in a childhood fairy tale romance kind of way. He had saved her life once and she supposed she'd saved his by pulling him out of that graveyard a few weeks ago. But in retrospect none of that mattered. What was important now was that they had both started out so broken and even though not all the pieces were back where they belonged yet, Maddie had no doubt that with time, each of them would be fully mended.

**Okay, there you go. we're gettin close to the end! so things will start winding down from here. Keep sending in those reviews!**

**~Tara~**


	35. Chapter 35

**Sorry this one took me a while to get up, it's been a pretty crazy week. enjoy!**

The sun filtering in through the windows above woke her up the next morning. She rolled over and found herself gazing into bright blue eyes.

"Morning." She whispered.

He smiled and kissed her.

"It's still the weekend you know." He said, kissing her back.

"I am aware." She responded with a smile.

"Good."

They never left the bed until well into the afternoon and only at great persistence from Maddie who insisted that if she didn't get food soon she'd start to get cranky.

They both showered, separately, even though Neal attempted to change her mind. And then they ate quietly, both seeming to have run out of conversation.

"The showcase is this Saturday, so make sure to tell Peter that you're not allowed to be doing FBI stuff that night. I want you guys to be there." She said as they cleaned dishes.

"I'll tell him, but if something crazy happens I can't postpone anything." He explained.  
"I know, just tell him." She insisted. He smiled and nodded.

"You're not even going to give me a hint as to what it's about?" He asked.

"No, you'll find out." She smirked at him, knowing how much it bothered him to not know.

They spent the rest of the day relaxing together; Neal continued to flip through case files while Maddie delved into a book. It wasn't until later that night that they stepped out of his apartment.

June was due to arrive back in town and Neal and Maddie were more than happy to great her when she got back.

They sat down in the living room for about another hour until June's car pulled up out front.

Neal insisted the housekeeper go back to what she was doing, promising that he and Maddie would take care of getting June's things inside, she smiled and quietly left the living room.

June smiled brightly as she stepped through the door.

"Welcome back." Maddie said brightly, wrapping her in a hug.

"Thank you sweetie. Hello dear." She said to Neal who had just set one of her bags down.

"Hello June." He said, giving her a hug and a kiss.

"Thank you, for your help." She said, taking the smaller bag from the driver and waving him off.

"Well, if you'll help me get this to my room, we can all sit down and chat for a while." She said. Neal nodded and helped her take her bags back to her room. Maddie moved into the kitchen to grab a tray of freshly made tea which she set down on the coffee table in the living room.

"Thank you dear." June said as she sat down next to Maddie on the sofa.  
"So how have you two been, keeping out of trouble I hope?" She asked, taking a quick drink.

"We've been fine June." Maddie assured them.

"And what about you Neal, here come sit down, you've been okay, you're arm and everything?" She asked, moving over a bit so Neal could sit down on the other side of her.

"I am doing okay, there's still a wound, Maddie has to clean it once a day but it's getting better. I have an appointment with the doctor this week." He explained.

"Well there's no sling or anything so I guess that's good news." June said, taking his hand in her own.

"Well there was." He said.

"Not that he wore it." Maddie interjected.

"I wore it." He said defensively, June turned to look at him.

"Okay I wore it sometimes." He admitted. June sighed and shook her head.

"What am I to do with you?" She said. Neal smiled.

"You'll think of something."

They sat for a while and talked. June told them all about her trip to see her family and how the holidays were for her. Maddie and Neal then told her about Christmas here, and June smiled, happy that everyone had a good time.  
"Well if you ladies would like to keep chatting that's fine by me. I have work in the morning though so I am going to get to bed." He said, kissing June on the cheek and standing.

"I'll be up then." Maddie told him. He nodded and smiled then walked upstairs, wishing June a goodnight.

"I have something for you." Maddie said, once Neal had disappeared. She smiled and pulled a box from behind the sofa.

"It's your Christmas gift, a little late I know, I wanted to give it to you before you left but with everything that went on." She didn't have to finish, June understood.

She opened the box slowly and picked up the brown wooden picture frame. A bright smile graced her features and she covered her mouth in surprise.

"Where did you find this?" She asked.

"Mozzie and I did a lot of digging." She said. June laughed happily and shook her head in disbelief.

The picture she held in her hands was an old black and white photo. June and her husband Byron were the center of attention, frozen in time while dancing, both of them smiling happily at each other.

"Maddie this is amazing, thank you so much." She said, pulling Maddie into her warm embrace.

"It's no problem, you've welcomed me into your home and I couldn't be more grateful, it was the least I could do." Maddie said.

"Oh dear you know I love you just as much as I do Neal, you needed a place to stay and I wasn't about to let you live in a hotel. Plus if Neal was okay with it then who was I to not trust him." She said.

June sighed and glanced down at the picture again.

"I should let you get to bed, I don't want to keep you up to long." She said. Maddie smiled and stood with her.

"Plus I won't keep you from Neal any longer." She added.

"Thank you so much for this Maddie." June said, pulling her into another hug and then walking with her to the stairs.

"And when you see Mozzie, tell him I say thank you." She said.

"I will." Maddie told her as she started up the stairs.

"Have a good night dear." June called.

"You too."

The apartment was darkened when she slipped back in, shutting the door quietly behind her. She could see Neal's form in the bed, his back to the room.

She quietly pulled her pajamas from under the sheets

Slipped the old t-shirt and jeans she had on off and reached for the more comfortable clothes behind her.

She felt his eyes before she felt his hands which slowly ran their way up her sides and then down her arms.

"Thought you were asleep." She said quietly. He moved behind her, enough that he could kiss her hip gently. She smiled and caught her breath quickly.

"You commin to bed?" He asked, taking her hand in his. She turned around and glanced at the pajamas that lay on the bed. He shrugged then lay back down, watching closely as she sighed and then slipped under the heavy covers, desperate for warmth in only her bra and panties.

He smirked at her and she laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

**Kind of a short one I know, but like I said we're movin to the end of the story so things are gonna get shorter, storylines are gonna get wrapped up. **

**Anyway, keep sending in those reviews! thanks for sticking with me so far everyone!**

**~Tara~**


	36. Chapter 36

**Sorry this one took me so long to get up. I hope everyone enjoyed the new ep of White Collar! and now, onto the story!**

She felt Neal kiss her goodbye that morning and she remembered smiling and saying she loved him and then falling back asleep.

She woke back up around nine, stretched and got out of bed, slipping in the bathroom to shower.

Breakfast was made and then she slipped back into the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup.

She was out of the house by ten, making her way to her first job interview of the day.

She suffered through two more and then called Mozzie and asked if he wanted to meet for lunch.

Both ended up seated at a small restaurant a few minutes later.

"So how's the job hunt going?" he asked as they placed their orders.

"Not to bad, I had three this morning and I have two more after this." She said.

"Wow, busy day."

"I'd rather get um done as soon as possible." She explained.

"Any good one's so far?" He asked.

"If I had to pick, there's this little coffee shop that's a few blocks away from June's. it's kind of low key but a good establishment. I'd love to work there." She said, sipping at her water.

They ate the rest of their lunch between light conversation and Mozzie insisted on paying again, Maddie smiled and let him.

"Neal told you about my showcase right?" Maddie asked as they walked to her next job interview.

"Yeah, he said I was invited, when is this going to be?"

"It's this Saturday, from six to eight." She said. Mozzie nodded.

"There won't be that big a crowd-"  
"I am not worried about that." he said. Maddie smiled at him and wrapped her arm around his.

He said goodbye once they reached her next interview, he told her he'd be over later that night to talk with Neal for a while.

The last two interviews were pretty much the same as the first three and Maddie walked home exhausted a few hours later.

She offered June a cheerful hello as she walked back in the house, and then made her way up to Neal's apartment. It was still empty since he wouldn't be home for another hour. So she tossed her purse on the sofa, changed into more comfortable clothes, pulled her hair back and then stood and stared at the few boxes and suitcases she'd first arrived at Neal's with.

She was moving in now, she supposed she should start putting things away but she couldn't bring herself to do it yet. She didn't think it was right to spring it on Neal like that; she'd wait until he got home and tell him she was going to move her stuff in and then she'd start putting things away.

So instead of standing around she pulled her sketch book out and went through her drawings again. Making sure the color was right and the shading was perfect.

She had put everything away and was planning on starting dinner when Neal walked through the door.

"Hey." She called from the living room.

"Hi." He said, coming to great her.

"Okay day?" She asked, accepting his hug and kiss.

"It was alright, yours?"  
"Long and boring." She said with a smile.

"Any successful interviews?" He asked as they walked out into the kitchen.

"One or two, I'll see in a few days if they call me back." She told him.

"Good." He said, giving her another hug.

"Oh and Mozzie said he'd be over later, something he wanted to talk to you about." She said. Neal nodded, his face falling into deep lines for a second but then he smiled at her.

"I wanted to ask you something." She said, brushing off the uneasy feeling.

He nodded so she continued.

"Well since I am moving in now, I just wanted to ask if it was okay for me to start putting my stuff away." She said. He turned around to face her.

"Sure it's okay, that's the point of moving in right?" He asked.

"Well yeah, I just didn't want to spring anything on you." She said. Neal smiled and walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Its fine Maddie, in fact I'll even help you if you want." He said, she smiled.

"Thanks." She said. He nodded and they moved back into his bedroom, pulling out suitcases from under his bed and opening boxes.

In a short hour Maddie's things were put away. Her clothes had a space in his wardrobe and a few of her own special items were sitting about the living room. When they were finished and she and Neal sat down on the sofa it actually looked like she was living here.

"All done." He said, resting his head against her own.

"Everything look okay?" he asked, taking in her silence.

"Yeah, it all looks fine." She said, a small smile forming.

"You're okay with this?" Neal questioned.

"Yeah, yeah I am okay with it. It's just odd to see all my stuff in someplace that isn't my old home." She said. He nodded in understanding.

"Well I think it all fits in nicely here." He said, kissing her jaw lightly.

"Thank you." She said, turning her head to look him in the eyes.

"You know it's no problem." He said quietly. She smiled and kissed him, then sat herself back to look at everything again.

Mozzie never arrived until around eight; the two of them had already eaten and were in the middle of cleaning up when he knocked on the door.

He said a polite hello to Maddie and then sat down at the table, laying his things out all over it.

She saw the look in Neal's eyes change so instead of asking what they were up to she simply moved into the living room and grabbed a book.

They were bent over papers and talking in quite tones for a few good hours but finally Maddie was ready to crash for the evening so she started getting ready for bed. Mozzie stayed, until she was all but ready to turn out the lights and crawl into bed and only then did Neal move with him to the door to say goodnight.

He changed his own clothes quickly and flipped off the lights as he walked into the bedroom, slipping under the covers with Maddie.

"Must have been some interesting information." She commented.

"Just work." He said. Maddie knew better than that.

"It was about Kate, I know, you can tell me." She said, turning to look at him.

"It's nothing you have to worry about." He told her.

"Nothing that's going to get you into trouble?"

He was silent for a few seconds.

"No."

She sighed and let him wrap her in his embrace.

"You know I understand about Kate, you don't have to keep it all a secrete from me. It's okay that you're looking for her killer, I get that." She said

"Thank you, for understanding."

He kissed her head gently and she felt him smile.

"I'd be doing the same thing if someone had killed the person I loved." She said. He was quiet for a while.

"What about your dad? Did they ever catch the boys who killed him?" He asked.

"Yeah, a few weeks later they tried to rob another store, this time a few off duty cops were there, they arrested the kids and put um in jail." She said.

"Well good."

"I got my closure Neal, I am not gonna keep you from getting yours." She told him. He smiled and kissed her.

"Thank you."

She nodded and kissed him back.

They held each other close that night and Maddie watched as Neal fell peacefully asleep. She brushed a few stray locks of hair out of his face, smiled, kissed him gently, and then let herself fall asleep as well.

**Okay, not much else to say except I hope you enjoyed it, keep sending in the reviews and thanks for reading!**

**~Tara~**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hey everyone, I am so sorry this took so long, I've been crazy busy at home and a few snow storms just rolled through so along with digging myself out I've been quite exhausted by night time and haven't had time to sit down at the computer. So I know alot of you were worried we were done but we're not! although after this chapter we only have 3 more to go. so enjoy!**

Tuesday was long and boring. Neal was at work so Maddie spent most of the day alone, aside from a visit from Mozzie around lunchtime. He asked if any of the jobs she interviewed at had called her back and she told him no.

She hadn't expected anyone to call right away but she was hoping for at least one phone call.

He nodded silently and Maddie had a feeling that he was going to do something about it. She sighed inwardly, assuming she'd be receiving a few confused phone calls if Mozzie came in asking about her.

Neal had texted her later that day saying that he and Peter were in undercover for a case and that he wouldn't be home until late which meant she had the house to herself for longer than she had expected.

She ate dinner with June downstairs and the two ladies chatted for a while. June told her that Neal had said something before he left that morning about Maddie moving in and June told her that it was more than okay, and she didn't mind in the least.

Which made for a significantly better night for Maddie since it was now official that she had a place to stay.

It was well past eight o'clock when Maddie returned to Neal's apartment, Neal said he wouldn't be home till much later so she assumed she'd be asleep by the time he finally got home.

She pulled out her sketch pad, putting finishing touches onto the drawings she would submit for the showcase, she had to drop them off at the school tomorrow.

She poked around the room for a while after that, examining a few books that she'd never bothered to glance at before, she washed the dishes up from lunch and then sat back down in the living room. By now it was almost ten and she had nothing more to do so she slipped into the bathroom to shower and change.

She finally made it to bed a little before eleven, Neal still wasn't back yet. She lay her cell phone next to her on the small bedside table, just in case he called for her, and then she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

She vaguely remembered him slipping into bed, giving her a kiss and wrapping his arms around her but the next morning when she woke up the apartment was empty again. She sighed but saw the note sitting next to her cell phone on the table. She picked it up and unfolded it, reading what he'd wrote.

_Maddie, _

_I am sorry we never got to see each other yesterday, I never got home until two in the morning and I didn't want to wake you. I'd love to meet you for lunch if you're not doing anything, just send me a text, and let me know. Peter and I are just doing some work on the case today, no undercover stuff so you don't have to worry. Anyway, just wanted to say I love you and I hope to see you later. _

_XOXO,_

_Neal_

She smiled and grabbed her cell phone, sending a quick text to Neal that she'd love to meet him for lunch too. Then she got out of bed, changed and ate breakfast. He texted her back a while later with a place to meet and she smiled at the fact that he remembered her favorite restaurant. The timing was perfect really, she had to be at the school to drop her drawings off a little before noon so she'd just get there early and then head over to meet Neal for lunch.

After she ate she gathered her things, making sure all of her sketches were perfect, one last time, and then she grabbed her purse and headed out.

The stop at the school was quick, the teacher took her drawings and explained that she should be at the school a few hours before the showcase on Saturday to set everything up.

After that she caught a cab to the restaurant and waited outside for Neal. He was quite easy to find, she smiled to herself as a large group of girls passed by, all chattering about the cute man in the hat. Neal walked up to her a few seconds later.

"Hello darling." He said, pulling her in for a kiss. She smiled as she heard the sighs of the girls standing nearby and held back her laughter.

"Maybe we should slip inside where you're admires don't have to watch." She said, he smiled and laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist and guiding her inside.

The waitress came and took their order and they were left to themselves.

"So what case are you guys working on?" She asked, taking a sip of her water.

"Someone stole a pretty priceless painting, Peter and I were posing as another forger and fence team, trying to buy it off the guy who originally stole it." He explained.

"And the guy gave it to you that easily?" She questioned.

"Yeah, well, he's good at ripping off art but not so smart otherwise." Neal said.

They laughed and chatted over lunch, Maddie was glad she got the chance to see him. She walked with him back to the FBI offices, assuring him that she didn't mind and that she'd just catch a cab back to Junes.

"I'll be home on time tonight, promise." He said, as they stood together in front of the building.

"I'll be there." She said, accepting his warm hug and kiss.

"Tell Peter I say hey." She said, Neal smiled and nodded.

"I'll talk to you soon."

He kissed her once more and then slipped off inside the building.

Maddie hailed a cab which took her back to June's place, she walked up to Neal's apartment and started digging around in her purse for her phone which had started ringing.

"Hello." She answered, not recognizing the number.

"Hi Maddie, this is Jen calling from the Liberty Café." The lady said.

"Oh, yes Jen, Hi." Maddie sat her things down on the sofa and moved to sit at the kitchen table, her voice hopeful.

"I just wanted to call and offer you the position you interviewed for the other day." She said. Maddie let out a silent sigh of relief.

"That's great, I'd love to accept it." She said, a smile on her face.

"Excellent, when would be a good time for your to start?" Jen asked.

"Well I am a little busy the rest of this week, I have a showcase at my art school I'm preparing for. Is next Monday okay?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah that's perfect actually, I can bring in a trainer and we'll get you started on Monday." Jen said.

"Great, thank you so much."

"No problem, I'll talk to you soon."

Maddie hung up and closed her eyes; it could not have been more perfect. She had just gotten settled down here with Neal and now she had a job only a few blocks away, someone was looking out for her, that was for certain.

She decided to wait until Neal got home to give him the good news but she did call Mozzie right away.

"Hey I've got some good news." She said when he picked up.

"I am near June's I'll be over soon." He said, and then hung up. Really she was just going to tell him on the phone but if he wanted to come over that was okay.

It only took Mozzie a few minutes to arrive at the door and she let him in.

"So what's going on?" He asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Remember that job I told you about, the one at the café a few blocks from here?" She said, coming to stand next to him.

"Yeah." He said, nodding.  
"They just called me a few minutes ago, I got the job there." She said, a smile forming on her face.

"Maddie that's great, congratulations." He said, standing up and giving her a hug.

"Thank you." She said, giving him a hug back.

"You didn't have anything to do with this did you?" She asked, pulling back to look him in the eye.

"No, I promised you I wouldn't interfere and I didn't, you did this all on your own." He said.

Mozzie spent the rest of the day with Maddie, she filled him in on the case Neal was working and they chatted for a while. He was still there when Neal arrived home a little after five but he said he'd leave the two of them alone, gave Neal a quick goodbye and then headed out.

"Sometimes I don't understand him." Neal said, coming to give Maddie a hug.

"I have something to tell you." She said, smiling up at him, his eyes grew wide and he nodded.

"Okay." He said. Maddie laughed.

"Nothing bad, I got a job, that café place a few blocks from here." She said, a smile grew on Neal's face.

"That's so great, congrats." He said happily, giving her another hug and a kiss.

"When do you start?" he asked, his arms still wrapped around her.

"Monday." She said.

"I am not sure what my hours will be or anything, the job was offered as a daytime position so I figure it'll be the same hours you run on which will be good." She continued, he nodded and kissed her again.

The rest of the evening was spent quietly, the both of them sitting close on the sofa talking. Neal decided to turn in around ten and Maddie agreed. He slipped into the bathroom while she changed but snuck up on her before she had a chance to finish, wrapping his arms around her exposed waist.

"I am happy you got your job." He said, his voice close to her ear.

"Me too, at least now I can pay my part of the rent." She agreed, leaning back into his embrace.

She felt him smile against her neck.

"That wouldn't have been a problem; you know I would have covered your half until you could pay." He said.

"I know, but then I'd have to pay you back the money." She said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"You wouldn't have to pay me in money, I could think of other ways you could pay me back."

She felt his smirk on her skin and she laughed as he pulled her closer to him, kissing his way down her neck.

"Oh really, and what would those way's be exactly?" She asked, knowing full well what he meant.

"I could show you if you like." He said. She turned to face him and smiled as she took his hands in her own.

"I think I'd like that." She said, wrapping her arms back around his waist and kissing him.

She felt him smile and he whispered that he loved her, and Maddie thought the day couldn't have gotten any better.

**Okay, just wanted to say thanks to everyone for sticking with me and reviewing, please continue to do so and I'll post the next chapter soon! thanks!**

**~Tara~**


	38. Chapter 38

**Sorry it took me so long to get this one up everyone. My computer totally spazzed out on me, and I got a new job so I am not home as much and I am up crazy early so I can't stay up late. Just a bunch of stuff that I won't bore you with, so read on!**

Thursday went by pretty much the same as the past few days. Maddie sat around with June and Mozzie for most of the day while Neal was at work.

Per Mozzie's request, June took her out shopping to find an outfit for the showcase. Mozzie said that even though he enjoyed there last shopping trip together it wasn't something he was willing to relive so soon.

So June took her out to a few upscale boutiques and insisted on paying for the cute knee length dress she decided to get.

She showed it off proudly for Mozzie when she got back home and he approved, commenting that the deep purple looked wonderful on her.

By five Neal was home and seated in the downstairs living room with June, Mozzie and herself, chatting about the day.

Maddie informed him that she and June had been shopping but she refused to show him the purchase until the day of the showcase.

Mozzie skipped out around eight saying he needed to do a few things before it got to late, and Neal and Maddie went upstairs to eat a late supper.

The rest of the evening was quiet, neither had much of anything to do so they slipped into bed early and talked quietly.

"Did Mozzie get you any new news on Kate?" She asked, cautious of her wording, the last thing she wanted was to upset him.

"We're getting closer, he's been going over some documents and following up on leads, I think that's where he was going tonight." Neal explained.

"Well that's good." Maddie said, the awkwardness of the conversation thick in the air.

"Yeah." Neal said quietly. Maddie sighed and quickly dropped the conversation.

"So are you ready for Saturday?" Neal asked a while later.

"Yeah, I think so." Maddie said with a smile.

"I am excited to see it, so are Peter and Mozzie, they've been talking about it all week." He said, Maddie laughed and smiled.

"June and Elizabeth are coming too, their excited as well." She told him.

Neal smiled and looked into her eyes.  
"I am proud of you ya know." He said, cupping her face gently. She smiled but held a confused look.

"You've grown into such a strong person from when I first met you." He explained.

"When I told you your hat was stupid." She said with a smile.

"Not so stupid anymore is it?" he asked, joining her laughter.

"I am serious though Maddie, I could tell when I met you that you were struggling with things, you told me as much that night you came over so late. But you've worked through a lot in the past few months, I am really proud of you." He said, Maddie smiled.

"Well I didn't do it alone, you helped me get through a lot of the worry with David and that whole business. I don't think I could have done that without you, so thank you." She said, he smiled and pulled her in close.

"I love you." He whispered, she kissed him sweetly and let herself melt into his warm embrace.

"I love you too." She whispered back.

**I feel bad for leaving you hanging so long and then posting such a short chapter but that's the way I split um up, and we've only 2 more to go untill this is all wrapped up. **

**I will try to post as soon as I can but it might not be till sometime this weekend or early next week. **

**sorry again for the delay, hope you enjoyed it, please continue to review!**

**~Tara~**


	39. Chapter 39

**Again I appologize for not getting this up sooner. Please enjoy it!**

The day before her showcase was long. Maddie woke up alone again; her eyes opened to where Neal would be laying, she sighed to herself and rolled over onto her back, staring up at the bright white ceiling. She was quite for a while, slowly trying to wake herself up, will herself to get out of bed. Her cell phone rang a few minutes later and she instantly picked it up, subconscious worry about Neal setting in.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Good morning dear." Neal said from the other end, his voice calm.

"I am surprised your up, I was planning on leaving you a message." He said.

"No, I just woke up a few minutes ago." She told him.

"Alright." There was skepticism in his voice, he knew she worried about him but he didn't press it.

"So what are your plans for the day?" He asked. She sighed and rolled over again, facing his side of the bed.

"Not much really, I don't start work till after this weekend so I don't have a lot to do." She said.

"Well good, how would you like to come into the office with me for a while?" He questioned. She smiled to herself.

"Am I allowed?" Peter would not be on board to get her into possibly more danger with another case.

"Yeah its fine, besides it's not about a case, I just, thought you could help me with a few things." He said.

"So you want me to do your paperwork for you?"

He laughed and she did too.

"I wouldn't let you do it all." He said honestly.

"Its fine, It'll give me something to do, plus it'll be good to see you and Peter." She said.

"Great, I'll let the lady at the front desk know, just tell her you're here for Neal." He said.

"Sounds good, I'll see you soon."

They said their goodbyes and then hung up. Maddie sat herself up and stretched, getting out of the bed slowly.

She made herself breakfast and showered, then after dressing and putting on a bit of makeup she grabbed her purse and left the apartment.

June was downstairs in the living room and she offered a warm good morning, Maddie gave her a hug and told her she was heading into the office to spend the day with Peter and Neal. June said to tell them both hello and offered to let someone drive her.

Accounting for mid morning Manhattan traffic they didn't make bad time. Maddie thanked the driver and slipped out of the car and into the large FBI building.

The lady at the front desk, Erica, as Maddie had come to know her, smiled as she walked up to the counter.

"Morning Maddie!" She said enthusiastically.

"Hey Erica." Maddie offered her a smile as well.

"You here to see Neal?" She asked knowingly.

Maddie smiled and nodded, "Yep."  
"You know what floor then, go ahead up." She said, offering another smile.

Maddie walked to the elevators and waited for one to open, then stepped in and pressed the number for the floor where the White Collar crime division was held.

The doors opened and Jones and Diana were waiting to get on.

"Hey Maddie." Diana said, wrapping her in a quick hug.

"It's been a while." Jones said with a smile, giving her a quick hug as well.

"Yeah, how's everything been?" She asked. The two of them smiled

"Interesting." They said at the same time.

"Mostly thanks to the antics of your boyfriend in there." Diana said with a smile.

"Yeah he's quite the hassle." Maddie said with a fake sigh. Diana laughed.

"True but he does good work." Jones admitted.

"Were just off to trace down a few leads, we'll be back soon and we can catch up." Diana told her.

"Okay that sounds great." Maddie said quick goodbyes and let the two get on their way.

The glass doors to the large office pulled open quietly and no one stopped their work to glance her way. She looked around for Neal and saw he was up in Peter's office, obviously involved in some heated discussion. She smiled and let out a small laugh, then walked over to Neal's empty desk and sat down.

It was a few more minutes before Neal ever took notice to her being there; he turned around and saw her through the big glass walls of Peter's office. He smiled and waved and she waved back. Then Peter took his attention back and she was left to sit and think again. Her mind wandered back to the first day she stepped foot into the office, back then Neal was not her favorite person, in fact she was quite annoyed with his attitude but clearly things had changed since then.

Neal had grown into a good friend, a life saver, a confidant, and ultimately someone she loved very much. She was blown away that her life had changed in such a small moment.

Eventually Neal traipsed down the steps from Peter's office and joined her at his desk.

"That looked interesting." She said, accepting his kiss and not caring who was watching.

"Your Uncle can be quite hard headed." He said with a sigh as he sat down. Maddie smiled and glanced up to Peter's office where he made quick eye contact and simply shook his head.

"So, paperwork?" She asked. Neal laughed and slid in next to her, happy to help.

Maddie worked with Neal up until lunch when Peter decided, with much persuasion from everyone, to take her, Neal, Jones and Diana out to eat.

It was a great way to spend the afternoon, Maddie got caught up on what was going on in the world of White Collar crime and everyone else got caught up in what was going on in her life.

She was happy to have made friends in Jones and Diana, it completed things, and she would always feel like she was welcome into the offices, a second family that she had grown to love.

She helped Neal wrap up all his paper work by three which gave them an extra two hours with not much to do, Neal insisted they explore the building as there were places he still hadn't been yet but Maddie knew that was probably trouble so she gently went against it. Instead she left Neal to straighten up his desk and she made her way up to Peter's office.

She knocked quietly on the wooden door but she could see he wasn't busy. He smiled at her through the glass wall and called her in.

"How have you been?" He asked, giving her a hug and offering her a seat.

"Alright," She said.

"Better then you were a few weeks ago I bet." He said, glancing down at Neal.

"Yeah, much better." She turned around to look at him herself. Ever the charmer he was already engaged in an animated conversation with a few other workers.

"I know you worry about him." Peter said, she turned back to face him.

"I love him, I just want him safe." She said honestly.

"As long as he's with me, you know I'll do everything in my power to keep him safe." He told her.

"I know you will."

"He's a hell of a lot of trouble though, you know that right?" Peter asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, but he's worth it." She said. Peter nodded.

"Yeah, he is."

They left around four; Peter told them that without anything else for Neal to do he didn't want him distracting anyone else from doing work so he let him off early.

They caught a cab home, and walked into June's house undetected, although Neal was positive that June would know they were back.

The apartment was dim when they entered and Neal flipped the lights on low, creating enough light that they could see.

Maddie kicked her shoes off and sat down on the sofa, scooting over when Neal came to join her.

"Have a good day?" He asked the bright smile never leaving his face.

"It was a great day." Maddie said.

They sat quietly a while longer, talking about the days ahead. Eventually they had dinner, went downstairs to visit with June and by ten were back up in bed.

"I saw you down at my desk today, you seemed distracted, was everything okay?" He asked, wrapping her arms around her waist to pull her close to him.  
"I was just thinking." She said, looking up into his blue eyes.

"About what?"

"About everything really, mostly about how much my life has changed since I met you." She said with a smile.

"For the better right?" He asked.

"Except for the kidnapping part, yeah for the better." They both laughed.

"I am glad I met you Maddie." Neal said quietly. Kissing her sweetly.  
"I am glad I met you too." She said back.

They fell asleep peacefully in each other's arms that night, dreaming of bright futures.

**Well, the next chapter is it, all wrapped up. I hope you enjoyed this one, I kind of enjoyed sending her back to the office! anyway, send in your reviews please! and I'll be posting the last chapter as soon as I can. Thanks everyone.**

**~Tara~**


	40. Chapter 40

**Alright well here we go, the last chapter of Companionship! it's been a fun ride, I am sorry the last few chapters were dragging but really I was just trying to tie up all the loose ends and finish up the story right. So here we go, please enjoy chapter 40!**

Maddie woke up slowly the next morning. Neal was still tucked in snugly next to her and she smiled to herself, grateful for a day where she didn't have to wake up alone. She drifted into a light sleep for another hour or so, simply happy to have Neal's arms wrapped around her a little longer.

He woke up eventually and smiled down at her, kissing her sweetly.

"Morning." He said quietly, his voice still rough from sleep.

"Peter called earlier, I am off the hook for today, and he says he'll be sure to be at your showcase tonight." Neal said. Maddie smiled

"So you have nowhere to go." She concluded, a sly smile swept across Neal's face.

"Not unless there's anywhere you'd like me to go." He said sarcastically.

She laughed and let him kiss her again.

The rest of the morning flew by. Mozzie stopped over and spent the afternoon entertaining Maddie by telling stories, Neal worked on his own for most of the day but Maddie let him.

Mozzie insisted on treating for lunch which turned out to be Italian.

"It was the first food we all ate together." He informed them. Maddie smiled.

"So this is momentous?" Neal asked.

"Of course, Maddie has her showcase today, it's a big deal." Mozzie told him. Maddie smiled and laughed, happy that Mozzie cared so much.

"I am looking forward to seeing what you have to display Maddie, your artwork is amazing." He said, toasting Maddie.

"Thank you Moz." She said

It was a few more hours before Mozzie left, he told Maddie he had a few things to take care of before he headed off to her showcase but that he would be there on time. She thanked him, offered a quick hug and told him she'd see him later.

"What time do you have to be there?" Neal asked.

"It starts at seven I have to be there at six to set up." She said, glancing at the clock to see it read five o'clock. Neal smiled.

"Can you get their okay by yourself?" He asked.

"Yeah sure, why?"

"Peter asked me to ride with them because he doesn't know the way. I should probably get going soon if I am gonna make it to their house on time, traffic and all." He explained.

"Yeah, I should be fine, it's not far, I'll just catch a cab." She said.

Neal floated around the house for the next fifteen minutes, changing into a deep blue suit with a lighter blue tie, knowing full well it was Maddie's favorite. When he'd finished getting ready he walked over to the kitchen table where Maddie sat, eating her dinner.

"I'll see you soon okay?" He said, giving her a kiss. She smiled and kissed him back.

"See you soon." She said. He gave her hand a quick squeeze and then slipped out the door.

Maddie was left to herself for the next half hour. She showered quickly, did her hair and makeup and then changed into the short purple dress that June had helped picked out. She slipped on a pair of simple black heels and a silver necklace. Lastly she slipped the purple hair comb Mozzie had given her, into her hair, and put on the silver paperclip bracelet that Neal had fixed for her.

She looked herself over in the mirror one last time before grabbing her jacket and purse and heading out.

June was down in the living room, sipping a cup of tea and reading when Maddie came downstairs.

"Leaving already?" She asked, setting the cup down.

"I have to be there early to set up." Maddie explained, walking over to the living room.

"Well I asked for Sam to drive you, I know it's only a short distance but I don't want you walking around on your own in the dark." June said, taking her hand and leading her to the door.

"You look lovely Maddie." She said, giving her a hug and a quick kiss on the head.

"Thank you." Maddie said, returning the hug.

"I am just finishing up dinner, and then I'll be there, I promise." She said, walking with Maddie, out to the black town car.

"I'll see you there." Maddie said, giving a quick goodbye as she slipped into the back of the car.

The drive to the school was sort but Maddie was thankful for June arraigning a ride, she wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of walking on her own and she wasn't in the mood for a cab.

"Will you need me to pick you up Miss?" Sam asked.

"Yeah actually, that'd be great. It'll probably be around nine." She told him.

"I'll be here." He said with a smile, then got back into the car and drove off.

Maddie was there right on time; most of the other art students were just arriving as well.

It didn't take her long to set up, the total of five drawings were easy to pin down to the large board she was given. She also tacked up the letters that spelled out her theme, and the small piece of paper that held her name.

After a half an hour of pinning things, taking them down and re doing them she was finally pleased with the way her space had turned out. So she stood slowly, asked quickly for a teacher's approval and then was assisted in standing the tall section of board up, so that it fit in with the rest of the students.

She stood back and gave it one final look, only after she decided it was perfect did she walk away.

The small group of art students were gathered around a table on the far side of the room, all accepting name badges and getting snacks before the showcase opened.

"Hey Maddie!" She heard her name called and turned to the direction it came from. She found Devyn, a girl a few years younger than her, walking up to her. Devyn was a true artist in all the forms, for example tonight she wore a deep blue tank top that had a bit of shine to it, a black skirt that somewhat resembled a tutu, and amazingly a pair of heels, Maddie had only ever seen her in combat boots. Her hair, which was naturally very black, had a rainbow of colors shooting through it. Pinks, reds, blues and greens, poked out from underneath her normal black hair. Devyn was eccentric, but she was also a good friend.

"Hey Devyn." Maddie greeted.

"I just wanted to say I got a look at your drawings after you put um up, there really good, you've got a lot of talent." She said.

"Thanks Devyn." Maddie said, she had never been good with receiving complements.

"I mean it. I hear there might be some buyers coming tonight; you could be in for a good evening." Devyn said, a smile forming on her face.

"Well your work is great to Devyn; I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't get some offers yourself." Maddie said. And it was true, Devyn was a wonderful abstract artist, she saw things that most people never could, but her work was always amazing.

"Well here's hoping right?" She said, raising her punch glass in a toast. Maddie smiled and nodded.

Maddie spent the rest of the time walking around and looking at the other student's art, in case she didn't get a chance to later. She wasn't surprised at how great it all was, most of the students in the her class were all well practiced at their talent. Maddie had never taken a lesson in her life until she signed up for this class, but the teacher said she had something special, and if she was being honest, after looking at the rest of the art on display, she was proud to say her drawings matched up to the skill level.

The doors opened at seven and all the students were standing by their own boards, eager to talk to anyone about their pieces. Maddie stood alone for a half an hour, before the crowd got too large, and she couldn't see the door anymore. She smiled politely at the people who walked by, all admiring her drawings but not saying anything. She turned away from the crowd for a few seconds and pulled her cell phone from a pocket in the folds of the dress. She didn't have any new messages, but she saw now that it was almost eight o'clock. She sighed and slipped the phone back in the pocket, turned around and was greeted by a crowd, strictly here for her. She could see them through the many other people, all standing at the door. Maddie smiled and pushed through the crowd.

"Hey." She said, latching onto Neal's hand.

"You were worried weren't you?" He asked

"You promised you'd be here, I wasn't worried." She lied, she must have picked up a few tricks from Neal because he smiled and turned back to the others without a single knowing look.

"Well, where's your stuff dear?" Elizabeth asked, her own hand still holding onto Peter.

"It's this way." She said, the happiness that everyone was here, even Mozzie and June, was evident on her face.

She walked with them through the crowd, stopping just a few feet from her area.

"You have to promise to be honest with me okay?" She asked, they all nodded, and she turned around, walking them up to her board.

They were all quiet for a while, each of them taking in the sight in front of them.

Maddie's theme was 'Loved Ones'

Pinned across the board was a drawing of every one of them, and under each drawing was a single adjective, describing what that person meant to Maddie.

Peter and Elizabeth were at the top; under both of their drawings was the word, family.

June was next; under her drawing the word inspiration was written. Mozzie was after her, with the word guardian written under his drawing. Neal was last, the drawing she'd been working on the most, with a simple four letter word written along the bottom, love.

After a while Maddie had started to worry that something was wrong, no one was saying anything. Finally Elizabeth spoke up.

"Maddie, their beautiful." She said simply. Maddie could feel a slight blush rising in her cheeks.

"Thank you." She said.

"Really Maddie, you did an amazing job." Peter added, calling her over for a hug, and Elizabeth did the same.

June took her hand next, giving it a squeeze as she gazed up at her drawing.

"Thank you Maddie." She said quietly, Maddie smiled up at her.

"No, June, thank you." She said in return. June glanced down at her and then with a smile, wrapped her in a tight hug.

Mozzie had disappeared, and Maddie looked around for him quickly but couldn't find him. She walked up to Neal slowly, who took her hand in his, still not glancing away from the drawings.

"This meant a lot to them." He said quietly.

"I know, that's why I did it, because you all mean so much to me." She said. Neal smiled down at her.

"I love you Maddie." He said. She smiled.

"I know, and I love you too." She told him, letting him give her a quick kiss.

"Maddie, we're gonna go check out the other artwork okay?" Elizabeth called. Maddie nodded, and smiled as they all gave sincere thank yous as they passed.  
Maddie leaned against Neal, closed her eyes and smiled.

It had all turned out perfect, this was her gift to them all, for being there for her, whenever she needed help, or advice, or someone to talk to. These people were always there for her, and this was the least she could do to repay them.

"Mozzie!" She said, her eyes opening. Neal looked down at her and then glanced around.

"I am not sure actually, he scooted off, I didn't see where he went." Neal said.

Maddie looked around quickly, not seeing any sign of the elusive man she detached herself from Neal and walked outside, smiling as she spotted him sitting on a bench outside the school.  
She wrapped her jacket closer around her and walked over to sit next to him.

"You disappeared, to many people?" She asked, glancing at him.

"No, no it's not that." He said, wringing his hands.

"Well then what's up?"

He sighed and looked up at her.

"I should have said thank you, for what you did, that was really nice of you Maddie." He said, a smile slipping on his face.

"But, you wrote the word guardian under my picture. I am not sure I live up to that standard." He said quietly.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"The only person I've ever been good at guarding was myself, I am don't do things for other people Maddie, I am in it for myself,"  
"That's not true." Maddie interrupted.

"First of all, you care for Neal a lot, maybe more than you're willing to admit. But I saw how worried you were when he was in the hospital." She said.

"And secondly, you may not what to admit this either, but I think you care about me too. Maybe I am wrong Moz, but all I know is, that night after I found out Neal was kidnapped, I wouldn't have made it through if you hadn't been there for me. You kept me grounded and you helped see me through that. That's reason enough for me to call you my guardian." She told him.

He glanced up at her, his eyes showing something between grateful and something Maddie couldn't place. His look changed and he slowly reached a hand up to gently touch the purple comb in her hair. She smiled and took his hand in her own.

"You've helped me through so much these past few months Mozzie; I know you may not want to believe it. But the truth is, you're up on that board in there because you mean something to me, I care about you a lot." She said.  
He was quiet for a few seconds then he looked up at her and said.

"I care about you too Maddie."  
She smiled and pulled him in tight for a hug.

"Shall we get back inside?" She asked, standing up.

"Sure." He agreed.

She wrapped his arm around hers and they walked back inside together.

Neal was waiting for them with drinks and she let go of Mozzie's arm to let Neal wrap his own arm around her. Eventually Peter, Elizabeth and June joined them. All of them chatting about the other art and what talent everyone had.

"I'd like to propose a toast." Neal said, once conversation had died down. The group looked at him.

"To Maddie and to all of us, to the start of a new year. To new adventures and to the second half of an old Chinese curse." Neal looked to Mozzie who smiled.

"May you find what you're looking for." Glasses were raised, and Neal leaned down to kiss Maddie who smiled at the people before her.

Her first day in New York City, she was a young, lost girl. She'd felt alone and exiled from the only place she'd ever known. But now, looking around, she realized that it was all a large blessing in disguise. Sure there had been some hard times and there were bound to be more to come. But for now, the words Neal said rang true.

She had absolutely found what she was looking for.

**And there we go! all wrapped up, I hope everyone enjoyed it!**

**Really I want to say thank you to everyone for sticking with me through this. Honestly when I began I didn't intend for the story to be this long, but it got away from me and now here we are. So thank you all so much, for continuing to read and review, it means the world to me!**

**speaking of reviews, please send um in, If you've never reviewed before, now would be a great time to! **

**Also if you follow my YouTube channel, I'll be posting the final instalment of the 'behind the scenes' video for this story, sometime soon! **

**Another also, if you were wondering, that 'adult' version of the New Years chapter that I said was comming, I'll be posting it as soon as I get this chapter up, so after you read this you can head over to the M rated section and read that little deal if your so inclined!**

**Again thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and making my day for the past few months, it's meant alot. Many hugs to you all, and I hope to be hearing from you soon!**

**~Tara~**


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